


The Calm After the Storm

by Insectoid



Category: Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-11 07:45:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 44,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3319601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insectoid/pseuds/Insectoid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hours after the Great Thaw, Queen Elsa has to pick up the pieces from her disastrous coronation. A dinner talk leads to secrets finally revealed, and the villains' fates are decided. But how will Elsa reconnect with her sister, after so much time apart? And how will she deal with Anna and Kristoff's blooming relationship?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preface / Open Gates

### Preface

This is my first attempt at a _Frozen_ chapter fanfic, and when I started working on it, it was also my first attempt at any sort of creative writing.  (I started it in Nov 2014, almost 4 months after seeing the movie the first time, but nearly a whole year since its release.)  Since creative writing was new to me, this fic started out fairly dialogue-heavy, focusing on character interactions; as I have improved at description, it has slowly gotten better.  Its biggest problem, though, is the lack of any well-thought-out or cohesive plot; I'm basically just making it up as I go.

Which brings me to my next point.  While I have read a great number of _Frozen_ fanfics, I am determined to not let any of them influence my ideas for this story in any _significant_ way.  (Similarities are unavoidable, especially this late entering the fandom, but I assure you that _most_ of my ideas came from my own imagination, and are not an attempt to steal anyone else's.)  The only resources I use are _Frozen_ itself (and _Tangled_ , where appropriate), and the _Frozen_ screenplay (which can be found elsewhere).  Maybe also a thesaurus, once or twice, various bits of online research (including the Disney Wikia and Wikipedia), and The Art of Frozen.

The story itself was born from an idea of mine for a one-shot where Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff have dinner that first night back in the castle, and Elsa winds up revealing the story of the accident 13 years ago that drove them apart.  But I decided to go above and beyond, and tell a whole story, of how they started picking up the pieces after the Great Thaw.  Joining them for part of the story is a certain royal couple from Corona. ;)

A good portion of the story takes place between the Thaw and the end of the movie, which because of my headcanon takes place over several days.  (My reasoning is that because all of those ships couldn't have been fixed right away, it has to be a day or two before the Duke and Prince Hans can depart.)  Thus I have a bit of time to fit in the dinner, a meeting, some fluff, and some silliness.  And the story _will_ go beyond the end of the movie, for there are still other issues for the characters to deal with, and of course I may invent some in time.

Writing the in-movie part of the story forced me to come up with an appropriate timeline of the movie's events.  From a careful study of the movie and screenplay, I determined that the main events of the movie take place over _no less_ than the better part of _four_ days, not two or three as I initially assumed.  In my notes I have the coronation listed as 1 July (for lack of a better date), the Thaw as 4 July, and the end of the movie as 6 July.  The general time period is known to be in the 1840s (according to The Art of Frozen), so the year Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" was published (1845) will do nicely.

The couple from Corona were included because I made the mistake of starting this story not long after seeing _Tangled_ , and knew I had to try writing them.  The rationale for their inclusion, of course, is their seconds-long cameo in _Frozen_.  Other fan canons (the cousins thing, and the wedding invitation), I freely admit to borrowing for this story, but as with everything else,  I tell them in my own way.  The original intention was for the Coronans to leave sooner, but I enjoyed writing them so much I decided to let them stick around for all of Part One.

Part One is 12 chapters long, with 1 through 8 taking place within the timeline of the movie.  I do not have a plot outlined past chapter 12, just some scattered ideas and one-shots (like "[Moonlight](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3319508)"), but I imagine I'll think of something someday.

The title of this fanfic, of course, is a play on the phrase "the calm before the storm"; the storm, in this case, being the Great Freeze.

All right, enough jabber. Onward!

### 1.  Open Gates

It was a beautiful July summer's day in the Norwegian kingdom of Arendelle.  The kingdom itself was not very large, merely consisting of scattered village houses and cottages that dotted the hills; a small town near the water, containing shops, merchant stands, and the docks, as well as a public square; and a large stone bridge, connecting the town to Arendelle Castle, which sat on a small island in the fjord.  Arendelle was essentially like every other port in the region, if one in an ideal location for trade with the southern kingdoms.  But this kingdom had one thing that the others did not: a queen with magical powers of ice and snow.

Indeed, if you were to ask around on this particular day, you would learn that the kingdom had just suffered a winter storm in the middle of summer!  The people would undoubtedly tell you that they were grateful for the warmth of the summer sun, and to the woman who had returned it to them barely an hour before.  Even after nearly three days of unnatural, seemingly endless winter weather, the majority of Arendelle's citizens were still proud of their Queen, and glad that she was able to right her wrong, accidental though it may have been.

No one had paid much mind when a rather waterlogged prince, suffering what appeared to be a broken nose, was fished out of the fjord and dragged off to the dungeon in chains by the castle guards.  The people had eyes only for Queen Elsa, the young platinum-blonde ruler of Arendelle, walking hand in hand with her younger sister, Princess Anna.  Few had been in a position to witness the events on the frozen fjord that afternoon, having been huddled inside their homes, or in the castle, sheltered from the bitter cold brought on by a sudden blizzard.  There, on the fjord, the strawberry-blonde princess had frozen solid, and had nearly given her life, to protect her sister from the murderous Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.

But it was Anna's act of self-sacrifice—an act of true love—that broke the icy curse on her, revealed to Elsa the key to controlling her powers, and allowed her to finally thaw the winter.  Those who had witnessed the disastrous events of the coronation ball three nights earlier, when Anna had pushed her sister too far and caused her to reveal her powers, observed that perhaps the issues that had driven the sisters apart had been resolved, for they were the very picture of happiness now.

As the Queen and Princess walked from the docks towards the castle, waving to the villagers who had come out to greet them, some bystanders wondered about the reindeer and the tall, blond-haired mountain man that trailed them; more still goggled at the sight of a little snowman, complete with what appeared to be a cloud floating over its head, trotting after them, practically bouncing with each step.  But after the events of the previous four days, a walking, talking snowman wasn't too difficult to believe.  Many people (a good number of them men) gawked at the Queen's bare-shouldered, sky-blue dress, with the slit up one side of the skirt and long, wispy cape—the dress itself seemed to be made of ice!

All seemed well in Arendelle, for the moment.  But, given the recent events, Queen Elsa would soon have to start picking up the pieces from her disastrous coronation.  Pride in and loyalty to the Queen aside, many were unnerved by her powers and the winter that they caused; indeed, some feared her, not understanding that until today she had little to no control over her magic.  She would have to talk to the people and affirm her reputation as a kind and just queen, and not the monster that some saw.

* * *

Elsa and her small party weren't more than halfway across the stone bridge before they were spotted by a guard on the perimeter wall.  "It's the Queen!  Open the gates!" he called out.

The gates opened wide, and the group walked through them into the castle's main courtyard.  Before the emerald-coated guards on duty could close the gates, however, the Queen held up a hand to stop them.  "Just a moment," she said.  "Has the captain returned from his errand?"

"I have, Your Majesty," said a deep, booming voice.  Elsa turned to see Rolf, the tall, muscular Captain of the Royal Guards, striding towards her.  The only difference in his emerald-green uniform from that of the other Guards was the gold insignia indicating his rank.  "The Southern Isles prince has been placed in the dungeons, as you requested," he informed her.

"Good," Anna spoke up before her sister could, the cold tone in her voice and crossed arms a sharp contrast to her usual cheerfulness.  "I hope he stays there and rots."

" _Anna!_ " Elsa scolded, shocked at her sister's attitude.  "I can assure you, Prince Hans will most certainly _not_ be staying here any longer than necessary."  She paused, then added, "Besides, haven't you already done enough?"

Anna rubbed the knuckles on her right hand furtively, as if they still stung from connecting with Hans's face.  "I suppose," she admitted, hands dropping to her sides.  "But he'd better have a cold cell, wherever he's going."

"I assure you, he will," the Queen replied.  Anna seemed satisfied with this answer, and wandered off.  Turning to the captain, Elsa said, "Keep him well-guarded and quiet, Captain Rolf.  We do not want any incidents before we send him home."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Rolf replied.

"One more thing," Elsa said, with a nod toward the gates.  "Except in dire situations, I would like the gates to remain open from now on."

The captain frowned. "Is this wise, Your Majesty?"

"Yes," the Queen replied.  "It is high time that Arendelle's rulers be open with their people again.  You may increase the number of men guarding the gates and walls as you see fit, of course.  Especially at night."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Captain Rolf said.  "It will be done."

"Besides, this will make my sister happy," Elsa added, glancing over her shoulder to where Anna stood chatting with her mountain man friend.  Sometime in the last few minutes, her sister had decided to take her deep pink cloak off, obviously unneeded in the warmth of summer.  "Being allowed outside the castle means a lot to her."  The Queen cleared her throat.  "That will be all, Captain."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the captain replied, saluting.  He turned to relay his orders to the other guards.

Elsa strode over to one of the courtyard's two fountains, where her sister and her friends were sitting waiting for her.  The little snowman, Olaf, was investigating the water in the fountain, which he seemed to find fascinating, while dodging the reindeer's attempts to eat his carrot nose.  Anna sat next to the mountain man, her magenta cloak draped over one arm.  Glancing at the blond man, who wore the traditional garb of a Sami ice harvester, the Queen said, "I don't think we have been properly introduced yet."

The man stood and attempted a courtly bow, rather clumsily, but managed it.  "Kristoff Bjorgman, ice harvester, Your Majesty."  He gestured to the reindeer.  "And this is my best friend Sven."  Sven also attempted to bow, but fell over face-first in the attempt, making Anna giggle.

"Please, call me Elsa," she replied.  "It's obvious to me that you and Anna are friends, so there's no need for formalities outside of court."

"I'll do my best, Your Ma—Elsa," Kristoff stumbled.  Anna giggled again, earning a glare from him.

"Do you have a place to stay for the night, Kristoff?" the Queen asked.

"I'm afraid not," the mountain man replied.  "Sven and I could find an inn, I suppose..."

"Don't be silly!" Anna exclaimed.  "You can stay here, in the castle!"

"Anna," Elsa said patiently, "that seems a little improper."

"Oh, proper, schmoper!" the strawberry-blonde said, smirking at her sister's stuffy attitude.  "C'mon, Elsa... at least until he finds his own place to stay."

The Queen considered this for a moment.  Finally, she said, "All right, Anna.  Just until he finds a place to stay."  She paused again, turning to Kristoff.  "Perhaps you could join us for dinner tonight, Kristoff?  As you're my sister's friend, I ought to get to know you, if you're to stay here for a while."  She glanced at Anna.  "Besides, I think we all have some catching up to do, after recent events."

"I-I'd be delighted, Yo—Elsa," Kristoff stammered, scratching the back of his head nervously.  "That is, if you don't think I'll be a bother staying here...?"

"Of course not, Kristoff," Elsa replied.  "There's plenty of room.  There have been very few guests to stay in the castle in the last thirteen years."

"Hey, loosen up, Kristoff," Anna chided, tugging at his coat playfully.  "It's just my sister."

"Yeah, b-but she's the _Queen_... and I'm just an ice harvester." Kristoff reminded, brushing her hand off him.

Their conversation was interrupted by several shouts of "Your Majesty!" and "Queen Elsa!" from the far end of the courtyard.  Elsa turned at the voices, and had to keep from balling her hands into fists at the sight of the diminutive Duke of Weselton.  Behind the Duke was the small group of foreign dignitaries, from France, Germany, Spain, and Ireland, who had also witnessed the events on the fjord.

"Your Majesty, we saw what happened out on the ice.  Are you all right?" the French dignitary asked.

"I am unharmed," Elsa replied, "and I now have my powers under control, thanks to my sister."

"As wonderful as that is, Your Majesty," the Duke of Weselton spoke up, impatience evident in his voice, "can we be assured that there will be no more _unnatural sorcery,_ so that we can get down to business?"  He said the two words like a curse.

The Queen turned sharply to face him.  "You have no right to take that tone with me," she snapped.  "In fact, you are lucky that I do not simply throw you in the dungeon with your guards!"  The duke flinched at her tone.

"Queen Elsa, I can assure you that I had no idea my men would—" the duke began, straightening his spectacles absently.

"—Would try to kill me?" Elsa interrupted.  "I find that very difficult to believe, _Duke_ , after hearing you denounce me as a _monster_ in front of a courtyard full of people three nights ago!"  The temperature in the courtyard dropped several degrees as she spoke, and ice started to form at her feet.

She jumped a little when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but relaxed immediately when she realized it was her sister.  "Do you want me to punch him?" Anna asked quietly.

"As much as I would enjoy it, Anna, _no_ ," the Queen whispered back, managing to calm herself somewhat.  Turning back to the duke, she said aloud, "I do not care if you think I am a monster, Duke, even though I thought the same of myself for many years.  My sister has shown me differently, and because of her, I now have control.  But your rash actions will not go unpunished.

"A guest room will be found for you, and you will stay there, under guard, until your ship is ready to depart.  You and your men will then return to Weselton without delay.  As for business," the Queen paused, putting as much ice in her tone as possible, "it is as of this moment finished.  Permanently."

"P-permanently?!" the duke stammered, wringing his hands, eyes wide with dismay.  "Queen Elsa, you cannot be serious!"

"I am," the Queen said coldly.  "I will have a formal declaration delivered to you before your departure.  Guards!"  Two emerald-coated guards appeared, and saluted.  "Find the Duke a guest room in the visitors wing, and keep him there until his ship is ready to depart."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the leader of the two replied, and said to the Duke, "Let's go, Your Grace."  After the guards and their charge were out of sight (the duke protesting all the way), Elsa let out a sigh of relief.

"What was _that_ all about?" Anna wondered aloud.  When Elsa didn't answer right away, she frowned.  "Elsa?"

"I'm sorry, Anna," Elsa said, trying to compose herself.  "Like I said, we have things to catch up on."  Turning to the other dignitaries, who wore similar expressions of shock from the Queen's confrontation with the duke, she said, "My apologies, gentlemen, for doing that," she said kindly, "but it had to be done.  Now, I understand that a good number of ships suffered damage in the storm this afternoon; therefore, guest rooms can be found for those who need them."

She straightened.  "If there is any other business to discuss, I will be scheduling a meeting for ten o'clock tomorrow morning, at which time I will explain to you and the Council the reasons behind the recent events, and hear your questions."

Getting a "Of course, Your Majesty," from the Spanish dignitary and a chorus of "Thank you, Your Majesty" from the others, Elsa said, "If you'll excuse me..." and walked back to where Kristoff was waiting, Anna following.

Addressing the mountain man, she said, "I'll have someone help you find a place for Sven to stay.  In the meantime, I'm sure we can find you a suitable guest room in the castle.  In the family wing, perhaps, so you don't attract attention from all those nobles."

"Thanks... Elsa," Kristoff said, with less hesitation than before.

"You're getting there," Anna said, smiling and patting him on the shoulder.

"Dinner will be at 5 o'clock," the Queen continued.  "If you need something suitable to wear, Kai can help you find it."  She gestured toward the portly, red-haired man conversing with a guard near the doors.  "That's him, there.  Do you think you can manage?"

"Yeah," Kristoff murmured.  "Thanks."

Elsa called a guard over, and said to him, "Guardsman, could you show Mr. Bjorgman to the stables, please?  He needs a place for his reindeer."

"Of course, Your Majesty," the guard replied, leading Kristoff and Sven off toward the stables.  Elsa and Anna were now alone... mostly.

"Olaf," Elsa said to the remaining member of their party, who was looking at his reflection in the water, "why don't you go explore the castle?  As long as you stay out of trouble, there's plenty to see both inside and out."

"Okay!" the little snowman said happily, and bounded off, his personal flurry following his every move.  From the direction of the castle gardens they heard a voice say cheerfully, "Hello!" followed immediately by a scream of "IT'S ALIVE!"

"Does _everybody_ have to do that?" Anna said, wincing.

"They'll get used to him, I hope," Elsa replied. "Anna..."  She paused, suddenly feeling awkward.  "It's been less than an hour since you were... well, you know... ice-cold.  So I was thinking we could get some hot chocolate, despite the nice weather."

Anna nodded in understanding.  "That sounds wonderful," she said, smiling.  With a sudden burst of energy, the strawberry-blonde squealed, "C'mon!" and started dragging Elsa toward the castle, where the kitchens awaited them.  "We can find some of those marshmallows you like, and maybe some extra chocolate to go with it, and..."

" _Anna,_ " the blonde said tiredly, pulling Anna to a stop outside the doors.  "Please calm down.  And besides, isn't one kind of chocolate enough?"

Anna gaped at her in mock horror, and put her hands on her hips.  "Elsa, I'm surprised at you!  One kind of chocolate is _never_ enough!"

They stood there staring at each other for a long moment.  Anna's jaw twitched, trying to keep a straight face.  Elsa felt herself fighting a grin, and eventually they both burst into giggles.

Elsa coughed, composing herself, and said, "I haven't laughed that much since that horrible little man tried to dance with you."  Anna glared at her.

"I'm going to get you back for that, you know," Anna said, smirking.

"I know," Elsa replied. "For now, though, let's go find that hot chocolate."  Anna happily dashed into the castle, nearly knocking over a bemused Kai.  Elsa stopped to apologize, and told him to keep an eye out for Kristoff and help him when he showed up, then dashed after her sister toward the kitchens.

* * *

Hans couldn't understand what had gone wrong.

 _I thought I had it all worked out,_ the red-haired prince thought bitterly.  _Thirteenth in line in my own kingdom and this close to claiming one of my own.  And yet here I sit, in a cold cell, a prisoner of the very royals I tried to eliminate._

_What happened?_

He fingered his now-broken nose, wincing at the pain.  _The princess couldn't have gotten out on her own, could she?  Someone must have helped her, but I thought I had everyone accounted for._   He glanced out the small, barred window of the cell, looking out onto the fjord.  _And yet, somehow she managed to get out to the fjord in time to stop me._

He still didn't completely understand that.  All he could remember seeing before he was knocked out was Anna leaping in the way of the sword strike meant to kill Queen Elsa.  Her body froze solid, and his sword shattered, a mysterious force throwing him backward.

Hans was neither a chemist nor a blacksmith, but he was an intelligent man, and knew that at extremely low temperatures, metal would become brittle.  He had seen the results of this firsthand when he found the shackles in the dungeon that had, until moments earlier, held the young queen prisoner, in a cell unlike all the others, apparently unused since the day it was designed.

 _The shackles had been torn apart, weakened by her magic.  Whoever designed them hadn't counted on her power becoming this strong._   The prince shook his head, trying to focus his thoughts.  _But no weakened metal could have caused that blast that threw me back.  It had to have been magic of some kind._

The prince honestly didn't know, as he sat in the cold dungeon cell pondering his failure, what his fate was to be.  _The Queen, in all likelihood, could have me tried and executed for treason, just as I had intended for her.  A cruel twist of fate, indeed._   He couldn't think of any worse fate than execution, but he didn't know if the young queen had it in her to give the order for his head.

Actually, Hans _could_ think of one punishment worse than death: being sent home and left to the "mercy" of his father and brothers.  That possibility made this cold cell look like a lavish palace suite.  _Only a monster like her would be capable of giving such a merciful sentence,_ he thought bitterly.  He sat back against the cell wall, waiting for the inevitable.

* * *

After Kristoff was shown the way to the stables, he asked the stableman if there was room for Sven.  The man showed him and Sven to an empty stall next to one that had a tall, white stallion in it.  For some reason, the horse was giving the mountain man an odd look.

 _Well, hopefully he and Sven get along,_ Kristoff thought as he handed Sven some carrots, and walked over to take a better look at Sven's new neighbor.  The stallion had an almost human expression of wariness on his face when Kristoff approached, studying him intently.  Judging by the fine quality harnesses set aside for the horse, he supposed the beast belonged to visiting nobility of some sort.  Noting the seven-pointed sun emblem on one, he guessed that they were from Corona.

Making sure that Sven was settled (and had plenty of carrots), Kristoff left the stables and walked toward the castle in search of the person Queen Elsa had pointed out to him.  Finding the man not far from where he'd last seen him, Kristoff cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me?  Mr. Kai?  I was told by the Queen that you could help me."

The portly, red-haired man blinked once, then replied, "Ah, you must be Mr. Bjorgman.  Yes, she said I was to expect you, and find you a guest room."

"Yes, please," Kristoff said.  _I'd probably get lost in there, anyway,_ he thought.

"Very well, then," Kai said, gesturing for him to follow.  "Right this way, please."  Kristoff followed the man into the castle, wondering what he'd gotten himself into.

* * *

Anna honestly couldn't have appreciated hot chocolate much more than she did right now, sitting next to Elsa on a couch in one of the castle's sitting rooms.  _Sitting with Elsa, together!_ she thought.  _It's like a dream come true..._

Though it was warm and sunny outside (usually incompatible with the hot beverage in her hands), there was still a slight chill in the castle, and in her body (as Elsa had pointed out), from being frozen over.  Or maybe the chill she was feeling was from sitting in close proximity to her sister; Anna wasn't really sure.  At the moment, though, Elsa seemed to be enjoying the drink as much as Anna was.

 _I wonder what heat even feels like, to her?  Obviously the cold doesn't bother her, or she'd be shivering in that ice dress._   Anna thought the dress in question was very beautiful, but was a little bit... _what's the word?  Showy?  Indecent?  Scandalous?  Yeah, that one sounds right._

Whatever the word was, Anna was sure that she was going to have to talk Elsa into wearing something else to dinner that evening.  She wanted to make a good impression on Kristoff, and didn't fancy the idea of him staring at Elsa's ice dress like nearly every man they passed on the way to the castle that afternoon.

Maybe she could talk to Elsa after she changed into a nicer dress herself.  The winter clothes she'd bought at Oaken's two nights earlier were very nice, but were a little warm by now, and she had already taken off the cloak.  Finishing her cup, she said, "Hey, Elsa?  I'm gonna go get changed for dinner.  Where can I find you after?"

"My room, I guess," Elsa said, sounding nervous.  "Don't worry, I'll leave it unlocked, if you want some company."

"Thanks, Elsa," Anna said, smiling, and dashed off for the family wing of the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** Each chapter will have notes like these, and explanations for some things (nothing quite so verbose as the preface!)._
> 
> _–I don't know why I gave Hans a broken nose; spite, perhaps? (I'm sure Anna appreciates it. :P)_
> 
> _–Kristoff could just as well have been introduced to Elsa on the walk between the docks and the castle, but I wanted it to be 'on-screen'._
> 
> _–The Captain of the Guards did not have a name in the first draft, but in the second revision I gave him one: Rolf. (Thank you, Wikipedia.) I'll be using 'Guardsman' for his subordinates, because I'm unsure what sort of ranks (if any) the Royal Guards would have._
> 
> _–The scenes with Hans, Kristoff, and Anna were added with the first revisions, when I decided to expand each chapter a little. I hope they fit in okay._
> 
> _**Next chapter:** some familiar faces! (From Kristoff's scene here, you should be able to guess who they are.)_


	2. Visitors

_How did I get myself into this mess?_ Kristoff wondered, as Kai led him through the castle.  _Four days ago, I was spending the night with Sven in stables and barns, and now I'm being led through a castle ten times larger than any of those!  What happened?_

_Oh, right,_ he thought.  _Met a pretty girl, who happens to be the princess, at the trading post.  Got talked into taking her up the North Mountain.  Got chased by wolves, lost the sled I just paid off, lost my lute, got thrown out of a flawless ice palace by an abominable snow monster, and fell off of a two-hundred-foot cliff.  Almost got married by the trolls.  Raced the princess to Arendelle, left, realized she was in trouble, raced_ back _to Arendelle, this time through a_ blizzard _, nearly lost Sven on the frozen fjord, and nearly lost Anna when she saved her sister.  But now they're both safe, and here I am._

_But why am I still here?  Was Sven right about her?  Could a princess possibly care for an ordinary guy like me?_

Kristoff was distracted from his thoughts by Kai's voice.  "Right in here, Mr. Bjorgman," he said, motioning to the door he just opened.  "You should find everything you need in here.  If you require something, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks, uh, Mr. Kai," Kristoff said awkwardly.

"Just Kai is fine, Mr. Bjorgman," Kai replied, straightening his emerald-green coat.  "I'll let the Queen know that you're getting settled."  He walked off back down the hallway they came in.

_Great,_ Kristoff thought, glancing around the richly-furnished guest room.  _I hope there's something in that wardrobe that isn't too fancy.  I'm not a nobleman!_

* * *

Anna, meanwhile, had gone and changed into one of her favorite summer dresses, which had grass-green skirts with a pale green top and sleeves, and a dark bodice decorated with rosemaling.  She had her strawberry-blonde hair done in her usual twin braids.

She walked down the hall toward Elsa's room, and stopped at the blue-and-white door.  She hesitated, then rapped on the door in her signature knock, and waited.  Elsa must have been just as hesitant to answer, because it was an agonizingly long moment before Anna heard her say, "Come in, Anna."

Anna turned the handle and entered, taking a good look around at her sister's room, a room she'd never seen before.  Unlike her own, which was fairly disorganized and messy most of the time, Elsa's room was pristine, with not an article of clothing or book or trinket out of place, and the bed made perfectly.

Elsa herself was seated at her desk, which was just as neat and organized as the rest.  She was working on some document or other, a small pile of missives off to one side.  Peering over her sister's shoulder, Anna asked, "Shouldn't you do work like this in the _study?_ "

"Sometimes I enjoy the comfort of my own room, Anna," she replied.  "Besides, it's a lot closer to the bed, if I'm up really late working."

_She just isn't used to_ not _being shut in this room,_ Anna thought.  "Well, anyway, it's almost time for dinner." she said, then studied the blonde critically, nodding at the ice dress she was still wearing.  "You're not really going to wear _that,_ are you?"

"Why... is there something wrong with it?" Elsa asked, looking a little hurt.

"No, no, no!" Anna said quickly.  "I think it's gorgeous, Elsa!  It's just..."  Anna bit her lip, smoothing her skirts absently.  "I want to impress Kristoff, and, um..." She trailed off, not sure what to say.  But Elsa seemed to understand.

"You don't want me to distract him too much," Elsa said, finishing her sister's thought.  "Well, I suppose it _is_ a little showy."  She paused.  "Is there... something going on between you two?"

Anna felt her face burning with embarrassment.  "N-no!" she yelped.  Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she amended, "Well, _maybe._   I mean, he saved my life, or he thought he was, bringing me back here.  It's kind of a long story..."

"Save it for dinner, then, Anna," Elsa said gently.  "I'm sure that once we're done catching up, I'll understand better."

"Okay," Anna said.  "Let's find you something nice, then..."

Five minutes later, Anna was deep in Elsa's wardrobe, trying to find something suitable.  "Nah, that one's too plain," Anna said, shoving aside one of her sister's numerous blue dresses.  _Seriously, doesn't she have any other color?_   "This one's too dark..."

" _Anna,_ " Elsa said, sounding exasperated.  Anna poked her head out and looked at her sister.  "Will _any_ of my dresses please you?"

"Well..." Anna paused to think a moment.  "Wait.  Why don't you just make one?  You did it before.  Just make a dress out of ice, and change it around till it's... more like these."

"Hang on, Anna," Elsa said, a small smirk on her face.  "If you _are_ trying to impress Kristoff, it simply won't do for me to wear a dress made of _ice._ "

_She's got a point,_ Anna thought.  "Oh, all right," she sighed, then dove into her sister's wardrobe again, finally emerging with a navy-blue dress with a light blue top and sleeves, and a dark bodice similar to Anna's.  "How about this one?"

"That will do nicely," Elsa replied with a smile, accepting the dress from her sister, and going behind a screen to change.  From the other side, Anna heard her say, "Hmm... that's unfortunate."

"Everything all right, Elsa?" Anna wondered.

"Yes... though I'm pretty sure I no longer have the coronation dress."  Before Anna had the chance to ask what she meant by that, her sister asked, "Now... what about my hair?  Up-do or braid?"

"Elsaaaaa," Anna whined.  "This isn't a dinner with visiting dignitaries... just be yourself!"

"All right... braid, then." Elsa decided.  After a few minutes she came back out, smoothing the dark blue skirts.  "Do you... want to help me with my hair?" she asked awkwardly.

"Sure!" Anna said, grabbing a brush.  "That's what sisters are for!"

* * *

While Anna may have been right about this not being a formal dinner, it was apparent, when Elsa entered the main dining room with Anna, that Kristoff would not be the only person joining them.

_Of course, Kristoff isn't even down here yet,_ Elsa thought.  _I wonder where he is?_

The couple sitting at the table, a young man and woman that Elsa guessed to be around her own age, was seated as close to the fireplace as possible, talking quietly.  _Maybe they're still recovering from the freeze?_ she thought absently.  She vaguely remembered seeing them at the coronation ball, but so much had happened in the last four days that it was all a blur.  She glanced at the dark-haired young man with the slight goatee wearing a dark shirt and purple vest and sash, but didn't recognize him.  The young woman with the short brown hair and low-cut pink dress, however, seemed familiar to Elsa, though she couldn't place the resemblance.

At their approach, the couple looked up from their conversation, and quickly stood.  "Your Majesty, Your Highness," they said together, the woman dropping in a perfect curtsy, the man bowing awkwardly.

"Oh, there's no need for that," Elsa said tiredly.  "I've had enough pomp and ceremony in four days to last me for weeks."

"Sorry," the man said.  "You do look a little tired, Frosty."

"I beg your pardon?" Elsa said, eyebrows climbing to her hair, at the same time Anna sputtered " _Frosty?_ " and the woman jabbed the man in the ribs, snapping, " _Eugene!_ "  Anna was trying hard not to laugh, and Elsa shot her a glare.

"You'll have to excuse him, Your Majesty," the woman apologized.  "He often forgets how to behave around royalty."  She apparently realized then that they hadn't introduced themselves, because she said, "Oh dear, where are my manners?  Rapunzel, Crown Princess of Corona," she said, curtsying.  Motioning to her companion, she said, "And this is my husband Eugene Fitzherbert, Prince of Corona."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rapunzel and Eugene," Elsa said warmly.  "And please, call me Elsa.  Were you at the ball?  I remember seeing you, but I don't think we were introduced."

"Well, we _did_ want to meet you, but she insisted on looking around first," Eugene explained.  "So, by the time we got back to the ballroom, everything had already gone ice-crazy."

The Queen wrung her hands nervously.  "Sorry about that."  Studying their faces, especially Rapunzel's, she said, "I was just thinking that your face seemed familiar..."

"Oh, no," Eugene groaned, sounding horrified.  "Don't tell you've seen one of my old wanted posters!  They never, _ever_ got the nose right—"

"Eugene," Rapunzel began.

"They couldn't even get it right on those things at the wedding..." the prince continued.

" _Eugene,_ " Rapunzel interrupted.  "I'm pretty sure she meant _me._ "

"Oh," Eugene said.  "Sorry, Blondie."

_Blondie?_ Elsa wondered.  _But she has dark hair..._ Her wandering thoughts were interrupted as Rapunzel continued, "I'm not surprised that I look familiar to you.  I've seen portraits of my aunt Idun in the castle in Corona, and, except for the platinum-blonde hair, you look just like her."

_I look just like Mama,_ Elsa thought, the words echoing in her head.  Her eyes started to tear up.

"Wait, what?" Anna blurted.  "You're our cousin?"

"That's right," Rapunzel said, smiling.  "You must be Princess Anna."

"That's me!" the strawberry-blonde said excitedly, tackling the brunette in a hug.  "It's so nice to meet both of you!"

"Oh, dear..." Rapunzel sighed, finally noticing the look on Elsa's face.  She and Anna both looked at her worriedly.

"Elsa?" Anna said, walking over to stand next to her sister.  "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Anna," Elsa lied.  She was hugging herself, trying to calm down, and was sure the room was growing colder; a light snow was starting to fall around her.

"Elsa, it's all right, I'm here," Anna said soothingly, brushing a tear from her sister's cheek.

Rapunzel walked over to join them, looking nervous all of a sudden.  "Elsa, Anna... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring up your parents like that..."

"It's all right," Elsa said, trying to regain her composure.  "It's not your fault that they're gone."

"Actually, it kind of is..." the brunette said, looking miserable, as if she had been dreading this particular conversation.  "They were invited to our wedding in Corona, and had wrote that they planned to attend, and make a diplomatic visit out of it.  But when they never arrived..."  She sniffled, then burst into tears.  "I-I'm so _sorry..._ "

"Rapunzel," Anna said gently, pulling the other princess into a hug, "please don't blame yourself.  There wasn't anything you could have done." Anna paused to wipe tears threatening to escape her own eyes, before attending to Rapunzel.

Elsa, having calmed herself somewhat, managed to say, "The past is in the past."  The snow threatening to blanket the dining room slowly dissipated.

Rapunzel nodded, slowly recovering from her outburst, and took a few deep breaths.  "I'm sorry, cousins," she said at last.  "Dinner hasn't even been served, and I've already made it depressing."

"Don't worry about it," Anna said.  "And you're welcome to join us—the third member of our dinner party hasn't even shown up yet.  What could be keeping him?"  She sounded annoyed.

"Him?" Rapunzel asked, a smirk on her face.  "Do you have someone courting you _already_ , Anna?"

"N-no!" Anna squeaked, then corrected herself.  "I mean, maybe."  She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.  "I don't really know yet... I've only known him for two days."

"Oooh!" Rapunzel said, beaming.  "What's his name?  What's he like?"

"His name's Kristoff," Anna replied.  "He's blond, and uh, big, and harvests ice for a living.  And he has a reindeer that he talks to."

"Maybe I should call _him_ Blondie," Eugene commented.

" _Eugene!_ "

"Sorry, sorry!"

"I've been meaning to ask about that," Elsa said.  "Clearly, you're not blonde..."

"It's just one of Eugene's pet names for me," Rapunzel said, grinning.  "It's kind of a long story..."

Elsa returned the grin.  "Well, I promised Anna and Kristoff that we would catch up on the last few days over dinner, so maybe you can join us, and tell your story as well."

"That would be lovely," Rapunzel agreed.

"Do the two of you have a place to stay?" Elsa inquired.

"Well, we _had_ been planning on staying on our ship," Eugene said, "but when it started snowing, we decided to find shelter in here."

"We've just been wandering the castle, mostly, for the last few days," Rapunzel added.  "At least, until it got too cold.  Then we came in here."

"Well, I insist that you take a guest room," the Queen said firmly.  "It's the least I can do for family."

"You can even stay in the family wing," Anna added, "away from the other visiting dignitaries, like that horrible little duke."

"You mean the Duke of Weselton?"  At Anna's nod, Rapunzel grimaced and said, "I agree.  That man is nothing but trouble."

"All right," Elsa said.  "The family wing it is, then."

"Thank you, Queen Elsa," the prince and princess echoed.

* * *

Kristoff couldn't really be blamed for being late for dinner.  Not only had he had trouble finding something to wear that wasn't a stuffy formal suit (and had to ask Kai for help), but he had managed to take a wrong turn and was now lost.

_It's my first night in a castle,_ he thought grumpily.  _What do they expect?_

He finally found a maid wandering this part of the castle, and decided to ask for help.  Clearing his throat, he said, "Pardon me, ma'am, but which way is the dining room?"

The maid, a tall, thin, gray-haired woman, smiled.  "Back that way, young man," she said, pointing.  "Down the spiral staircase, third door on the left.  You can't miss it."

"Thanks, uh..."

"Gerda," the woman replied.  "You must be the young man the Queen and Princess are entertaining tonight."

"Yes, ma'am," Kristoff said, doing his best to be polite. "My name's Kristoff."

"How do you do," Gerda said, then added, "Run along, now.  You don't want to keep Her Highness waiting.  She has a bit of a temper sometimes..."

Kristoff felt his face burning red as the maid walked away.  _How does she know I'm here because of Anna?_   Kristoff thought about it for a minute, and then remembered.  _She was at the gate when I brought Anna back this morning._

_She's right about Anna's temper, though... after all, she got mad at a snow monster!_

Kristoff found himself looking at some of the portraits on the walls as he headed down to the dining room.  One subject that kept appearing was, unsurprisingly, the previous King and Queen, lost at sea three years prior, from what he'd heard.  Kristoff had never met King Agdar or Queen Idun, but he _had_ seen them—that fateful night thirteen years ago, when he was taken in by the trolls.

Seeing their faces again confirmed what Kristoff had feared for the last day or so—it had indeed been Anna who had been healed by Grand Pabbie that night, and Elsa and her parents had been with her.  Anna obviously did not remember the encounter—there was no reason she should, as she'd been unconscious—but Elsa probably did.  Kristoff wondered whether he should bring it up at dinner tonight, or whether it would make Anna or Elsa too uncomfortable.

Finally, he arrived at what he presumed was the main dining room.

* * *

"What about you, Elsa?" Rapunzel asked.  "Do _you_ have an interest in someone?"

"No," Elsa said flatly.  "Being isolated for thirteen years has cut down on my social life, and I'm not really comfortable around other people yet.  There will be no suitors until I say so.  Besides," she said, putting an arm around her sister,  "I now have Anna to keep me company again."

Anna had a mischievous grin on her face, and Elsa had a feeling she knew what it meant.  She waved her hand, making a snowball fall on Anna's head.

"AH!" Anna shrieked.  "Cold, cold, cold!"  The Prince and Princess of Corona laughed, and Elsa hid a laugh behind her hand.

Brushing the snow out of her hair, Anna glared at her sister and said indignantly, "What was _that_ for?"

"You had that look," Elsa said with a slight smirk, "like you were thinking of setting me up with someone.  You still haven't figured out where you are with Kristoff yet, Anna."

Anna pouted, but replied, "All right."  The grin came back then.  "But as soon as I do, I'm totally going to play matchmaker!"

"Speaking of Kristoff, he appears to have arrived," Eugene said, grinning.  As Kristoff entered the room, Eugene walked over and said, "'Sup Blondie?"

" _Eugene!_ " Rapunzel said, "Don't make me fetch my frying pan!"

"All right, all right!" Eugene said, holding his hands up defensively.  Turning back to Kristoff, he held out a hand.  "Prince Eugene Fitzherbert, of Corona."

"Kristoff Bjorgman," the mountain man replied, shaking the proffered hand.  Kristoff had managed to find some casual summer clothing, a light blue shirt and dark vest over dark trousers.  Turning to Rapunzel, he said, "That must make you the lost princess, Rapunzel."  He bowed clumsily.

"That's right," Rapunzel said.  "It's nice to meet you, Kristoff.  I'm surprised you've heard about me."

"Word gets around, even among the ice harvesters," Kristoff said.  "They say a notorious thief found you and saved your life."  He glanced at Eugene, one eyebrow raised.

"Guilty as charged," Eugene said.  "But they've forgiven me.  Rapunzel even talked me into marrying her!"

"Eugene," Rapunzel said, a hint of warning in her tone.

"Okay, okay, _I_ asked _her_." Eugene said, holding his hands up again.

"Well, it's nice to meet you both," Kristoff said.  Pausing to study Rapunzel, he observed, "You know... looking at you, you remind me a bit of Anna."

"I'm not surprised," Rapunzel laughed.  "As I just finished telling them, their mother was my mother's sister."

"So, you're cousins?" Kristoff asked.

"Yup!" Rapunzel beamed.  She sobered quickly when she added, "It kind of upset Elsa when I brought her mother up, though, for obvious reasons."

"Yeah," Kristoff murmured, rubbing the back of his head absently.  Noticing something on Rapunzel's shoulder, he said, "Say, isn't that a—?" He was interrupted when Elsa saw what he had seen, and screamed in fright.

What she saw was a small green lizard, which up until now had gone unnoticed, that now changed to a bright red color and was eyeing her with a wary expression, probably as startled by her scream as she was.  She darted several steps back, hiding behind Anna, who was trying not to laugh.  Snow was falling around her once again, and the fabric of her dress iced over where she gripped it.

Apparently understanding, Eugene said dryly, "Stay calm.  He can probably smell fear."  Anna giggled, and Kristoff rolled his eyes.

"Eugene, _really!_ " Rapunzel said.  Glaring at the creature on her shoulder, she scolded, "Pascal, I thought I asked you to stay out of sight!"

Realizing he'd been caught, the chameleon tried to blend into the brunette's pink dress, only to turn back to green when she picked him up and held him at eye level.  With a sigh of defeat, Pascal began a sort of pantomiming, which only the Coronans seemed to be able to follow.

"Okay... yes... you snuck away to go see Max... then you came back... and now... you popped out to meet everyone." Rapunzel groaned. "Well, you frightened the Queen! Go apologize!"

Pascal hopped down, and shuffled over to the head of the table, where Anna and Kristoff were busy trying to calm Elsa down, Anna saying, "Relax, Elsa, it's just a little..." She trailed off.  "Um, what _is_ he, exactly?"

"Frog," Eugene said, at the same time Kristoff said, "Chameleon."

"Chameleon," Rapunzel agreed, smirking at her husband.

"Nuance," Eugene replied with a grin.

"Anyway, there's nothing to be afraid of, Elsa," Anna said.  Under her breath she added, "I think." Kristoff chuckled.

Pascal gestured to the Queen, then to himself, shaking his head, and then bowed, apparently his form of an apology.

"Thanks... I think," Elsa said.  Forcing herself to relax, she willed the gathering snow out of the room.  Pascal, in the meantime, hopped up onto Anna's arm, making her squeak in surprise, then climbed up and settled on her shoulder.

"So where did this little guy come from?" Anna asked Rapunzel.

"I found him in my tower when I was a teenager, and we've been together ever since," the brunette replied.  "We'd play hide and seek, which I managed to win despite his attempts at camouflage."  She sighed.  "He's kind of old now, but he's a tough little guy; he even keeps Maximus in line!"

"He kinda creeps me out," Eugene admitted. "Especially when he smiles at me for no apparent reason.  And don't let him anywhere near your ears if you're asleep..."  Everyone laughed.

"Who's Maximus?" Kristoff asked.  "Is that the tall white horse I saw in the stables?"

"That's him," Eugene confirmed.  "I'll introduce him to you guys later, if you like."

"I don't know," Kristoff said.  "He kind of looked at me funny..."  Turning to the sisters, he said, "Anyway, I'm sorry I'm late.  It took me a while to find something casual to wear, and then I took a wrong turn and got lost.  Luckily, I found Gerda, and she pointed me in the right direction."

"It's all right," Anna said.  "But Elsa and I should give you a tour of the castle, so you don't get lost the next time you go looking for the washroom."  Eugene snickered.

"Of course," Elsa said, smiling.  "Let's have dinner, shall we?"  She sat in the high-backed chair at the head of the table, motioning the others to sit—Anna and Kristoff on her right, Rapunzel and Eugene on her left.  Elsa then rang the small bell sitting on the table, summoning the kitchen staff to bring dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** I had to do it, really.  I've read so many fanfics where Rapunzel and Eugene make a cameo, that I just _had_ to, mostly because I had just seen _Tangled_.  I'll admit to borrowing the popular fan canons that the sisters and Rapunzel are cousins, and that the King and Queen of Arendelle were invited to Rapunzel's wedding, but they work well with the story.  The Coronans will be around for most of this part of the story, so enjoy them while they're here.  (And if I've quoted too many of Eugene's lines from the movie, please forgive me.)_
> 
> _–Being your average single guy, I don't know _anything_ about dresses, much less how to describe them.  (Upon further research, I've discovered that the sleeveless garment worn over the top (blouse) of the dress is called a 'bodice.'  Learning something new every day.)  Elsa's comment about the coronation dress will be explained in chapter 4._
> 
> _–The passage where Elsa is upset by the mention of her parents (specifically, her mother) bothers me a little: why is Anna not equally upset?  My impromptu reasoning is that Elsa hasn't come to terms with her parents' loss just yet; perhaps visiting the stones in a future chapter will give her some closure._
> 
> _–I added the bit where Elsa offers the Coronans a room in the second revision; somehow it hadn't made it in there the first time.  This addition inadvertently created a continuity error (with Rapunzel asking Pascal why he wasn't in their room), so that had to be fixed, too._
> 
> _–I don't really know why I made Elsa frightened of Pascal, but it seemed like a humorous way to bring him into the story.  I also had Rapunzel say she met Pascal when she was a teenager, just so his (now old) age would fit.  (Real-life chameleons don't live much longer than 10 years or so.  But this is Disney, so I suppose I could have cheated a little.)_
> 
> _**Next chapter:** An avalanche of exposition!_


	3. The Truth

Dinner that evening consisted of soup, roast, and green salad, with choices of wine and water, and a promise from Elsa of leftover chocolate fondue for dessert.  Anna did not partake of the wine (as Elsa seemed to think that was a _very_ bad idea), but her sister did.  While Elsa did not have very much, preferring to sip her water ( _How does she do that without freezing it?_ Anna wondered), the Coronans helped themselves, though they were polite enough to drink in moderation.  Pascal amused himself by hiding next to (or eating) different foods and changing color to match.

"Hey, Elsa," Anna began, though since she was eating it sounded more like "Ewsha."  Elsa glared at her, her face plainly expressing her distaste for Anna's lack of manners.  Anna stopped to swallow, and said, "Sorry.  Did _you_ know we owned eight thousand salad plates?"

Her sister rolled her eyes, and said wearily, "Yes, Anna."  Straightening in her seat, she tapped her glass lightly, and addressed the whole table.  "Now, we have all agreed to tell our stories over dinner tonight," she began, setting her spoon down, "so why don't we start with our honored guests from Corona?"

"Of course," Eugene said, grinning.  Clearing his throat dramatically, he said, "This is the story of how I died—"

"How you _what?!_ " Anna blurted.  Pascal smirked.

"Actually, the story is more about Rapunzel than about me," Eugene admitted.  "It begins with the sun..."

It became clear that the Prince of Corona had a knack for storytelling.  As he told Rapunzel's tale—her being kidnapped as a baby, living locked away in a tower, meeting Flynn, their adventure going to Corona to see the lanterns, and defeating the wicked Mother Gothel—Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff listened attentively, nodding, laughing ("You fought a sword-wielding horse with a _frying pan?!_ " Anna guffawed), and tearing up where appropriate, while Rapunzel herself corrected Eugene when necessary.

When they finished, Elsa said to Rapunzel, "Well, that explains why your hair is so short.  Doesn't it grow out?"

"No," Rapunzel replied.  "But even if it did, I rather like it short, after eighteen years of super-long magic hair.  It's lots easier to take care of."

"So, do you still have healing powers?" Elsa asked, curious.

"I don't know, but I doubt it," Rapunzel said, sadly.  "The power in the hair vanished when it was cut, and the tears were probably a one-time thing.  I haven't noticed any signs of it since."

"Thash too bad," Anna said around a mouthful of food, earning another glare from her sister.  She swallowed and continued, "I think it'd be great to be a magical healer."

"It would be nice, true," Rapunzel said, smiling.  "But it's all right.  I'm enjoying life as a normal princess."

"Says the girl who still goes around the castle barefoot sometimes," Eugene said with a smirk.

"You see what I mean about him?" Rapunzel said, with a glare at Eugene.  "Doesn't know how to behave around royalty."

"Is there a shoe shortage in Corona, or something?" Anna wondered.

" _No._ " Rapunzel said firmly, blushing slightly.  "Just an old habit, from living in a tower for so long."

"So your blonde hair came from having magic powers," Elsa stated, glancing at her own platinum-blonde braid.

Rapunzel seemed to understand her unasked question.  "No one else in our family—that I know of, anyway—has had hair as light as mine was, and yours is.  I think it's possible, Elsa, that if it weren't for your powers, you would look just like your mother, like I said before."  Elsa blushed.  "Not that your hair isn't lovely, cousin."

"Interesting." the blonde said, looking thoughtful.  "Well, that was a lovely story," she said, then turned to her sister, and announced, "Anna, it's your turn."

"Wait, what?" the strawberry-blonde said, confused.  "Where should I start?"

"Just tell us what happened after I left three nights ago, for starters," Elsa replied, poking at her food absently.  "Don't leave anything out."

"All right," Anna said.  Figuring that Rapunzel and Eugene might not know _why_ Elsa left (despite having likely been there to witness it), she addressed them first, saying, "Since you two might not have heard, it all started when I got engaged to Prince Hans of the Southern Isles..."

She told them how she and Elsa had gotten into an argument, and how she pushed Elsa too far, making her lash out and reveal her powers.  How she had pleaded for her to stay, but Elsa kept running, freezing the fjord and the summer with it.  "I knew I had to go after her, alone, so I left Prince Hans in charge and galloped after her on my horse."

" _Really,_ Anna?" Elsa fumed, "He was the best you could come up with to leave in charge?"

"Hey, I didn't know he was a two-faced jerk then," Anna retorted.  "I don't even know his last name!"

"It's 'Westerguard', Anna," Elsa said.

"Whatever," the strawberry-blonde said dismissively.  _Of course Elsa would know that,_ she thought.  She proceeded to tell how, the following day, her horse had gotten spooked, thrown her, and run off.  She was left to trudge through the snow, tumble down a hill, and seek out shelter in Wandering Oaken's Trading Post.

"That was where I met Kristoff," Anna said, grinning.  "I was just there to warm up and buy a winter dress—"

"You really should have prepared better, Anna..." Elsa began, but Anna kept going.

"—and he walked into the shop, completely covered in snow, and got into an argument with Oaken over the price of carrots and climbing gear."

"I told him if he wanted to talk about a supply-and-demand problem, he should know that I sell _ice_ for a living," Kristoff said.  Grimacing, he added, "Then he threw me out, bodily, when I called him a crook."

"Kristoff told me that he had seen something happening on the North Mountain," Anna recalled.  ("Probably when I was building my ice palace," Elsa pointed out.)  "After Oaken tossed him out, I bought the dress and his carrots and stuff, and talked him and Sven into taking me there."

"Demanded, more like," Kristoff said.  "And she insisted on leaving in the middle of the night, which turned out to be a bad idea, 'cause we ran into a pack of wolves."  At this, Rapunzel's and Elsa's eyes went wide as saucers.

"Are you all right?  How did you get away?" Rapunzel asked them.  Anna saw Elsa's fork ice over in her hand, but the blonde didn't appear to notice.

"Well," Anna began, "Kristoff wouldn't let me help fight them off, 'cause he didn't trust my judgment—"

"Getting engaged to a man you just met is _not_ good judgment," Kristoff insisted, sharing a agreeing nod with Elsa.

"Well, you weren't wrong..." Anna said, biting her lip.  "I decided to help anyway, so I swung his lute at one—"

"I liked that lute," Kristoff lamented.

"You should try a frying pan," Eugene said to Anna.  "They're really effective."

"I'll get you a new lute," Anna promised Kristoff, and continued, "Kristoff got dragged off the sled, and I caught the torch he was holding, lit a blanket on fire and threw it at the wolves—"

"—almost setting _me_ on fire," Kristoff added.

"Well, I _didn't._ " the strawberry-blonde shot back.  "That wasn't our biggest problem, though."  She explained how they were headed for a cliff, so Kristoff threw her on Sven to get her across the ravine, and sacrificed his sled, almost not making it himself.  "I meant what I said, you know," Anna said to Kristoff.  "I'll replace it, and everything in it."

"Thanks," said Kristoff.

"Anyway... we hiked through the mountains until morning, and then we found Olaf wandering around."

"Who's Olaf?" Eugene wanted to know.

Anna smiled.  "Olaf is a snowman that Elsa and I built as kids, which she brought to life," She grinned wider when she saw Eugene's horrified expression.  "I was freaked out at first, too, and kicked his head off—"

"It was like an icy game of hot-potato," Kristoff told Eugene.  "We tossed it back and forth, and she finally tossed it back at him, and it went on upside-down..."  Eugene laughed.

"I fixed him, though," Anna pointed out,  "I gave him a nose, and he told us where to find Elsa."

"We came to this steep cliff, and Anna tried to climb it without any help," Kristoff said.  "She made it about six feet up."

"Not so easy, is it?" Eugene said with a smirk.

Anna glared at him.  "Just because _you_ can climb a tower bare-handed doesn't mean _I_ can."  ("It wasn't _bare-handed,_ " Rapunzel said, smirking at her husband.)  Anna tucked a loose hair behind her ear and continued, "But it turned out we didn't need to climb it; there was a passage through the rock that led right to the ice palace."

"Flawless ice..." Kristoff said, a faraway look in his eyes.

"Snap out of it, Kristoff," Anna said, then added, "I'm sure Elsa can take us on a tour of the place someday."

"Yeah... sure," Elsa said, sounding not-too-sure.  Anna wondered at her hesitation, but went on anyway.

"I told them to wait outside for a minute, so that's why they weren't there when I found you." Anna told Elsa.  Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, she said, "Um..."

"...Yeah," the blonde said, sounding equally awkward, and Anna could see her wringing her hands in her lap nervously.  For their guests' benefit, Elsa told how she had begged Anna to leave, but Anna had insisted she could help.  "Anna told me about the winter, and tried to convince me to return home, but I panicked..." Elsa seemed to force the next words out, "and accidentally... f-froze her heart."  Rapunzel gasped.

Elsa winced, hugging herself, but went on.  "Anna claimed she was fine, but it didn't matter; I could feel the fear building inside me, the very ice around me reacting to my emotional state and... _changing._   I had to get her out, to keep her safe, so... I created another snowman to, uh, escort her out."

"That monster _threw_ us out, Elsa," Anna said hotly.  "I let it know that wasn't nice!"

"Yes, well, Anna," Kristoff said, "throwing a snowball at a temperamental snow monster wasn't such a great idea."

Anna went on to explain how the monster—which Olaf had apparently named Marshmallow (to Elsa's great amusement)—chased them down the North Mountain, all the way to a two-hundred foot cliff.  "I tried to get us down safely," Kristoff explained, "even though Anna jumped a little too early.  But Marshmallow started to pull us back up, and I hit my head on the cliff, so Anna cut us loose.  Fortunately, we had a soft landing."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Anna, Kristoff," Elsa apologized.  "It really was for your own safety; I didn't know what my powers were going to do.  They certainly started to scare me... sharp icicles shooting out of the walls and ceilings of the palace."

"Well, I can't blame you for being scared," Anna admitted.  "It was after we landed that my hair started turning white—well, whiter—well..." She trailed off, running a hand through her hair where, until today, there had been a streak of white in the otherwise strawberry-blonde locks.  "Mama and Papa told me that I was born with that streak of white hair, though I dreamt once that I'd been kissed by a troll.  But I've thought about it since the other day, and it disappeared when I thawed, so..."  She looked at Elsa, her unspoken question hanging in the air.

Elsa was clearly uncomfortable talking about this subject, judging by the way she shrank in her seat, her arms around herself.  "Anna, I..." She fell silent, and looked like she might cry.  The temperature in the room dropped noticeably, and the light snowfall returned.

"Elsa," Kristoff spoke into the sudden silence.  "I really think we should tell her."

"What?  _We?_ " Elsa said, looking shocked.  "How... how do you know...?"

"Tell me _what,_ exactly?" Anna wondered, but Kristoff ignored her question.

"I didn't figure it out until recently," Kristoff admitted, "but when I saw your parents' portraits in the castle, it sort of clicked."

"Wait, what?" Anna blurted.  "You've seen our parents before?  When?"

"Thirteen years ago... the night the trolls took me in." Kristoff answered.  Elsa's eyes were wide, now; she seemed to finally notice the snow, and waved most of it away, though it still continued to fall.

"You were adopted by the _trolls?_ " Elsa asked.

"That's right," Kristoff said.  "Until then it had just been me and Sven, after my parents died when I was young,"  Elsa gave him a look of sympathy, and he continued, "I was eight, and I lost track of the ice harvesters I had been following.  Sven and I were just heading through the woods with our small load of ice, when two horses galloped past us, going the opposite way.  But that wasn't what got my attention."

Elsa had a far-off look on her face, as if recalling something.  "You saw the trail of ice on the ground," she said finally.

"Right," Kristoff agreed.  "I decided to follow the ice, wondering what could have made it.  Eventually we found ourselves at the Valley of the Living Rock, and ran into a troll called Bulda, who promptly decided to adopt us."

"Why is it called the 'Valley of the Living Rock'?" Rapunzel asked, curious.

"Because," Kristoff replied, "unless they choose to reveal themselves, that's exactly what the trolls look like—rocks."  He chuckled.  "Anna and Olaf thought I was crazy, when I took them there last night..."

"So... that night thirteen years ago, you saw..." Elsa said quietly.

"Yes," Kristoff admitted.  "I saw your parents there, and you, and little Anna."  Turning back to Anna, he said, "Anna, I told you earlier that I had seen the trolls heal people before." He paused, glancing at Elsa, then continued.  "What I didn't tell you was... it was _you_ that I saw being healed."

Anna gasped.  "You mean... I _was_ kissed by a troll?  I thought that was just a crazy dream!"

"Well, sort of," Kristoff said.  Turning back to Elsa, and seeing the fear on her face and the death grip she had on her now-iced-over chair, he said quietly, "Elsa..."  He fumbled for the right words, and came up with, "She has a right to know."

Elsa was staring at her lap, but she eventually managed to collect herself, and she took a deep breath.  The light snow continued to fall, and when she looked up at Anna, she had a sad expression on her face.  "Anna, you asked me why I shut you, and the whole world, out for thirteen long years," she began.  "It's time that I told you the truth.

"Back when we were little, you loved my powers, and we would play in the snow, inside, fairly often.  You would even wake me in the middle of the night, especially when the Northern Lights were out, dragging me out of bed to build snowmen and ice skate in the ballroom.

"On that night, thirteen years ago, we were doing just that.  We built Olaf, skated around, and were having a great time.  But when I was catching you as you jumped from snow pile to snow pile, I slipped and fell, and you were so high up, and..."  She took a deep breath. "I panicked, and tried to catch you again, but accidentally struck you in the head with my magic, knocking you unconscious.  A lock of your hair turned white where my magic hit you.

"I cried for Mama and Papa, and they threw us onto horses and took us straight to the trolls' valley.  There, the troll elder ("Grand Pabbie," Kristoff supplied) told us that he could heal you, and did so, but also removed your memories of my powers, as a precaution."

"Well," Anna said, "that explains the streak, and why I don't remember your powers from before, or playing in the snow _inside_.  But... why did you shut me out?"

"I was so afraid that I would hurt you again," Elsa answered, tears in her eyes.  "Grand Pabbie told me that though my powers are beautiful, they are also very dangerous.  I _couldn't_ let it happen again."  She paused, wiping a tear away.  "He told me that I needed to learn how to control it, that fear would be my enemy.  Papa thought that that meant I needed to hide it—conceal it—from the fear of _others._   But that only led to _me_ fearing my powers, and I know now that he was wrong.

"Grand Pabbie's visions frightened Papa so much that he closed the gates and cut the staff, determined to keep my powers a secret.  Of the staff remaining, only Kai and Gerda knew about them, and were trusted to keep it to themselves.  Meanwhile, Papa started to teach me to control my emotions, to keep my powers in check, but they came bursting out at odd moments.  That was when I started wearing gloves."

"And I thought you just had a thing about dirt," Anna joked.  Elsa chuckled, then cleared her throat and continued.

"Even with the gloves, my powers still burst out, getting stronger by the day.  By the time I was twelve, I wouldn't even let Mama and Papa touch me, for fear of hurting them."  She sniffled a little, the tears returning, the room growing colder again.  "When they were l-lost... I c-couldn't keep it in anymore.  I couldn't even attend the memorial.

"You saw what happened on the fjord this afternoon—the snow suspended in the air, as if time had stopped.  And that's what it felt like, and looked like, in my room, that day you came to my door again.  I couldn't let you in, even though I desperately wanted to."

"You... you did?" Anna said in a small voice.

"Of course I did, Anna," Elsa said, smiling, and the room warmed slightly.  "More than anything else in the world.  Every minute of every day, for the last thirteen years, I wanted to open that door and play with you.  But I was too afraid of hurting you, and it hurt me so m-much to ignore you or turn you away.

"I know I can never m-make up for all of those years together that we l-lost..." Elsa said, her voice shaking, "...but I promise to you this, Anna: I will _never_ shut you out again.  Ever."

At this Anna leaped from her chair into her sister's arms, crying into her shoulder.  Elsa cried a bit, too, while rubbing Anna's back to soothe her.

After a few minutes, Anna's sobbing and hiccups subsided, and she pulled away, saying, "I love you, Elsa."

"I love you too, Anna," Elsa replied warmly, "and I always will."

* * *

"This is very touching, and all," Eugene spoke up, brushing at his eye furtively, as if there was something there, "but we still don't know the rest of the story.  Like what brought you down from the North Mountain."

"Eugene, _please,_ " Rapunzel scolded, wiping her own tears away.  "Can't you see they need a moment?"

"No, it's all right," Elsa said, still sniffling a little.  "Anna needs to know what happened after she left the ice palace."  Anna stood slowly and returned to her seat.

Composing herself, Elsa folded her hands in her lap.  "From what little I've heard since returning—mostly from the Captain of the Guards—Prince Hans organized a search party after Anna's horse returned without her.  The party consisted of Hans, Captain Rolf and a squad of his men, and the Duke of Weselton's two guards.

"Although he denies it, I strongly suspect that the duke gave his men instructions to kill me if I was found, despite Hans's orders to the contrary.  When the party arrived at the ice palace early this morning, Marshmallow attacked them.  The duke's guards saw me looking out the door, and managed to get by Marshmallow and charge up the stairs after me.

"I made it to the top floor before they caught up with me."  The blonde fidgeted, absently smoothing her dress.  "It became obvious fairly quickly that there would be no reasoning with them; they were armed with crossbows, and aiming to kill.  It took a great effort to defend myself, and eventually I started to fight back.

"I almost lost myself to anger then," Elsa admitted, her gaze dropping to the table, ashamed.  "I pinned one of the men to the wall with ice spikes, with one right at his throat.  The other I forced with a wall of ice through the balcony door, all the way to the edge."  She sighed.  "If Prince Hans had not arrived to intervene at that moment, they would both be dead now.  _'Don't be the monster they fear you are',_ he said.  And he was right.

"However, the man I had pinned to the wall still had one arm free, and had his crossbow in hand, ready to fire.  Hans saw it before I did, and managed to deflect the shot up to the ceiling.  Unfortunately, it hit the support of the chandelier, causing it to fall straight down towards me.  I only narrowly escaped being crushed or impaled by the falling ice, but I fell and was knocked out."

"I have a question," Anna spoke up, her tone flat.  "Knowing what we know now, why didn't Hans just kill you then?"

"He may have tried to," Elsa said darkly.  "It was awfully convenient that the crossbow bolt hit where it did, and he may have intended it to—I could have been seriously hurt, or even killed, and Hans could have passed it off as a 'tragic accident'.  But he didn't know where you were, Anna, and without at least one of us alive his path to the throne was unfounded.

"I awoke in the castle dungeon, bound by a special pair of shackles that completely covered my hands, almost like gloves.  I don't know where Hans found them, but I have a feeling that both they and the cell were designed to restrain me, specifically—on whose order, I can only guess.  Hans came in then, and told me that you had not returned.  I begged him to let me go, for without control of my powers I was still a danger to Arendelle.  But he did not, and probably did not intend to, even if you were found."

"Well, we sort of took a detour," Anna admitted, referring to her absence.

"I took Anna to the Valley last night, because I thought that Grand Pabbie could help her, just as he had thirteen years ago," Kristoff said.  "But it turns out that _'only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart'._   His words, exactly."

"The trolls thought that this meant something like... like a true love's kiss," Anna said, reddening slightly, "and Kristoff assumed this meant I needed Hans.  So he carried me on Sven all the way back to Arendelle as fast as he could go, for my hair was getting whiter by the minute.

"He left me with Kai and Gerda at the gates this morning, telling them to take me to Hans.  When we found him, they left the two of us alone in the library.  It was then that Hans... b-broke my heart and revealed his plans to me: his intent was to kill you, and be named a hero for saving Arendelle from the winter.  As for me, he put out the fire and candles, and drew the drapes closed, locking me in the library to slowly freeze to death."

Rapunzel gasped, a look of horror and hatred on her face, not unlike what Elsa was feeling now.  Even Pascal turned an angry crimson.  Kristoff looked furious.  The air in the room dropped about ten degrees, and the snow returned once more.

"I think I can guess what happened next," Elsa said, tone hard, her anger rising.  "Hans must have told the other visiting dignitaries that I had killed you, and convinced them that I should be executed at once for treason.  How he convinced them that he had that kind of authority I don't know, but I _will_ let them hear about it tomorrow morning."

She took a deep breath, trying to rein in her anger.  "I only just managed to escape the dungeon before he and the guards arrived.  The room and shackles had been made so cold from my growing fear that both the shackles and a whole wall of the cell burst apart."

"That must have been quite a sight," Eugene commented, earning a glare from his wife.

"Yes, well, you can go see it for yourself if you'd like," Elsa huffed, "but don't expect _me_ to go back down there any time soon."  She went on, "I ran out onto the fjord, an enormous blizzard starting to form from my out-of-control powers."

"That was about the time that Olaf found me," Anna broke in.  "Believe it or not, he can pick locks with his nose!"  Everyone laughed at that, even Elsa, and Anna continued.

"Olaf started the fire again, almost burning his hand off in the process.  I told him what happened, and that I didn't know what love was.  He told me..." Anna's eyes misted over as she spoke.  "He told me that love was putting somebody else's needs before your own—just like Kristoff had, and even you, Elsa."  She sighed, biting her lip.  "He made me realize that Kristoff had feelings for me, a-and I... I felt the same."  Kristoff turned a bright shade of red.

"I know," he said quietly.  "Sven tried to tell me that, too, after we left.  That's when I saw the blizzard, and I raced back here, fearing you were in trouble."

"Olaf saw you coming," Anna continued, "and I convinced him to help me get out to the fjord to find you.  We wound up having to go out through a window and slide down, as the entire castle was freezing over, with ice spikes blocking most of the corridors."

"I almost didn't make it to her," Kristoff said, "There were ships toppling over and falling apart, and one caused the ice on the fjord to crack open.  Sven threw me across an icy pool, and fell in himself.  He made it out okay, though."

"My body was slowly freezing over," Anna said, the pain from that experience showing on her face. "I would never have even found Kristoff if the blizzard hadn't suddenly stopped."  She looked at Elsa expectantly.

"Hans managed to find me out in the storm," Elsa said bitterly, "and he lied to me, telling me that you were dead by my hand.  I collapsed on the ice in grief."  She choked back a sob, hugging herself.  "I d-didn't want to go on after that, and made no move to stop him when I heard him draw his sword, moving in for the kill.

"But then you saved me," Elsa said, her eyes tearing up again, "And by sacrificing yourself for me, freezing solid so that Hans couldn't reach me, you thawed your frozen heart."  Anna was smiling, tears in her eyes as well.  Rapunzel and Eugene were both dabbing at their eyes, and Kristoff wasn't far from it.

"Olaf echoed what Pabbie told you—that an act of true love will thaw a frozen heart—and it made me realize that love is the key to controlling my powers."  Elsa smiled, illustrating by gathering the snow and ice that had accumulated in the dining room into a large snowflake, and dispersing it.  "I thawed the winter, and gave Olaf a little flurry cloud so he wouldn't melt."

"And then I punched that jerk face Hans into the fjord!  _Yah!_ " Anna said, mimicking the sharp right hook she gave the prince, and almost catching Kristoff in the face.

"Whoa, whoa, feisty pants.  Calm down," Kristoff told her, holding his hands up to protect himself.

"He's locked in a cold cell below, for now," Elsa said, then smirked and added, "Maybe your marring of his pretty boy face will teach him a lesson."

Anna grinned.  "I hope so.  And I hope we never have to see him again."

"What will you do with him?" asked Rapunzel.

"I think the wisest thing to do would be to send him home, and let his father and brothers judge his actions," Elsa replied.  "I have every right to have him tried and executed for what he has done, but I am not a monster.  I must show him that I am capable of mercy, unlike him."

"What about the Duke of Weselton?" Eugene asked.

"He is being confined to a guest room for the moment," Elsa said, "and as soon as his ship is ready to leave, he and his men will be sent back to Weselton, where his duchy can deal with them."

Elsa looked around; their dinner had been half-finished or forgotten during the storytelling, even Anna's. "Well, I'm sorry that took so long," she said.

"You did warn us that you had a lot to catch up on," Rapunzel said.  "And we're glad that you all made it through this okay."

"It's been a rough four days," Elsa agreed, "and as such, I believe we should all get some much-needed rest."  She covered an unqueenly yawn with her hand, and added, "Tomorrow, I will decide what the Council and the people of Arendelle should be told about this incident."

"All right," Anna said.  Sharing a look with her sister, she said, "Elsa... if you want company..."

"Don't worry, Anna," Elsa said, understanding.  "My door will always be open to you."  Her sister once again engulfed her in a hug.

"Thanks, Elsa," Anna said into her sister's shoulder, then pulled back and said to the others, "Good night, everyone.  See you in the morning."  She and Elsa left the dining room together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** And this proves that dinner and exposition don't go well together: they forget to eat! XD_
> 
> _–This whole dinner conversation between Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff (the Coronans were added later) leading up to the reveal of the ballroom accident to Anna was, in the beginning, the entire basis for writing this story.  I know; many before me have done something similar, and some undoubtedly better than I have.  I just wanted to give it a shot, in my own style—the whole scene had sort of been playing out in my mind for weeks, and I felt the need to write it down._
> 
> _–I originally had this chapter split into two, but decided to combine it again when I did revisions; thus, it is at the moment the longest chapter by far, at 5,009 words.  O.o_
> 
> _–I unconsciously wrote the first part in Anna's POV, and the second part in Elsa's (which is what I wanted anyway); when I realized this, I had to go back and fix a few things in both parts, so the POVs stay consistent.  I hope the POV switch isn't too awkward._
> 
> _–What sort of foods and beverages are they _supposed_ to have?  Food isn't too hard—the krumkake dessert probably deserves a mention somewhere—but as for drinks I'm clueless.  I mean, they probably have tea (and hot chocolate, obviously), but those don't strike me as dinner-type drinks.  I'm not sure about glögg (a kind of mulled wine)._
> 
> _–The end of Anna's POV still makes me tear up when I re-read it.  I guess that means I did it right..._
> 
> _**Next chapter:** bad dreams and bribery!_


	4. Bad Dreams

Kristoff was now alone with the Prince and Princess of Corona, and without Anna around he was feeling a little awkward.  He was a bit like Elsa, in that he was fairly uncomfortable around people in general, instead preferring to be alone, or hang out with Sven.  Or at least he had, before he met Anna.

As if reading his thoughts, Rapunzel said, "She seems wonderful, Kristoff.  You should be happy to have someone like her in your life."  Kristoff blushed.

"I-I know, but... I mean... I don't know what to say to her," he stammered.  "And... and she's a _princess,_ and I'm just a guy who sells ice and talks to a reindeer."

"I know what you're thinking," the brunette said, her eyes narrowing.  "You think you're not good enough for her, don't you?  Well, I've seen the way she looks at you, and can tell you otherwise."

"Besides, you'll know what to say to her eventually," Eugene said honestly.  "Trust me.  Remember, I used to be a thief, before I fell in love with a princess, and that didn't stop _me._ "

"And this... princess... is tired," Rapunzel yawned.  She stood from the table, Eugene doing likewise.  She pushed her chair in before beckoning for her husband to follow.  "Come on, Eugene... let's go find this room of ours.  Good night, Kristoff."

"All right, Blondie, I'm coming." Eugene replied, trotting off after her, mumbling for Kristoff to hear, "We'll probably get lost, too..."

Kristoff chuckled, and said politely, "Good night, Your Highnesses."  Rapunzel gave him a little wave, before Eugene closed the door behind them.

Now that Kristoff was alone, he felt a little more at ease.  _I guess I'll go check on Sven before I turn in,_ he thought as he stood.  He left the dining room, and managed to find his way back to the stables without making a single wrong turn.

When he got there, he was unsurprised to find Olaf there talking to Sven.  "Hi, Sven!" the snowman said cheerfully when he saw Kristoff.

"Kristoff," the mountain man reminded him.

"Oh, right." Olaf trotted over to him.  "I've known your real name for only a day, so I'm not used to it yet.  How was dinner?"

"It was... long," Kristoff admitted.  Pulling a carrot out, he said, "I think we're all on the same page, now, as far as what happened during the freeze."  He offered the carrot to Sven, who nibbled away at it hungrily.  Kristoff then did his best to summarize the parts of the story the two wouldn't know about, and briefly explained the accident and Elsa's isolation.

"That's so sad," Olaf said.  "It must have been hard for them to be apart for so long."

"It was," Kristoff replied.  "But things are looking better for them, now.  Actually, the fact that you're here is proof of that."

"Why?" Olaf asked.

"Well..."  Kristoff thought for a moment.  "If I understand the story right, your namesake was the last thing Elsa and Anna made together before they were separated.  And you were the first thing Elsa made, intentionally, after the separation.  So you could call it a good sign, I guess.  In a way, you represent the fun they missed having for thirteen years."

"I think I understand," Olaf said.  "In that case, I'll be sure to help them make up for that lost time."  He paused, then said, "Hey... do you think they'll want to play with me tomorrow?"

"I'm sure Anna will find some time for you, Olaf," Kristoff said, "but I don't know about the Queen.  She still has to speak to her Council and the people about the incident, and probably has work to attend to once everything has settled.  But I'm sure she won't forget about you, okay?"

"Okay!" Olaf said happily.

"By the way," Kristoff said, "Rapunzel, the Princess of Corona—Elsa and Anna's cousin—is here with her husband Eugene, and they might like to meet you.  Rapunzel might play with you—she seems a lot like Anna."

"Elsa and Anna have a cousin?  Neat!"  Olaf padded over to the stable door.  "I'll try to remember," he told Kristoff as he was leaving, and trotted out to the courtyard.

Now it was just Kristoff and Sven... and the curious white stallion.  Addressing him, Kristoff said, "Prince Eugene tells me your name is Maximus."  The horse blinked at him, clearly surprised, but Kristoff went on, "I'll wait for a proper introduction tomorrow.  In the meantime, you can hang out with my friend Sven."  Turning to the reindeer, he said, "All settled in, buddy?"

Sven nodded, then "said" in Kristoff's voice, _Did you tell her?_

"Did I tell her what?" Kristoff asked, knowing Sven meant Anna.  Apparently it _was_ possible for a horse to roll its eyes, because that's exactly what he saw Maximus doing.

_That you like her,_ Sven replied.

"Not exactly," Kristoff admitted.  "She said that Olaf helped her realize that we have feelings for each other... but I don't know what to say to her."

_So tell her that you like her,_ Sven insisted.

"I don't know how." Kristoff said, ashamed.  "But Eugene told me that I would know what to say."

_I'm sure you will,_ Sven agreed.  Kristoff could swear he heard Maximus laugh.  _What a strange horse,_ he thought as he left the stables, heading back to the castle to try to get some sleep.  _Hopefully I can find my room on the first try..._

* * *

Despite her weariness from the past four days' events, sleep did not come easily to Elsa.  She had hoped that getting that load off her shoulders—telling Anna the truth about their past—would give her peace of mind enough to at least _try_ to get a good night's rest; she had not slept well on the North Mountain, despite her new-found freedom.

But still, the nightmares came.

In one, Prince Hans, standing over Elsa with a wicked smile on his face, swings his sword down, but instead of shattering on impact with Anna's frozen body, breaks _her_ into a thousand glittering shards of ice.  In another, Anna blocks Hans' attack as before, but does not thaw after, and Elsa in her grief plunges the country into a truly eternal winter.  Yet another, where Anna does not reach Elsa in time, and Hans stands over her dead body, gloating—

Elsa woke with a shrill scream, bolting upright in her bed, breathing heavily.  Hearing sudden heavy footsteps in the hallway outside her room, she clung to the now iced-over covers, her heart racing.

"Your Majesty?!" came the panicked call of the guard from outside.  "Are you all right?  I heard a scream."

"I'm all right," Elsa said, her voice shaking.  "Just a... n-nightmare."

"All right," came the reply.  "Let me know if you need anything, Your Majesty."

Elsa sat there for several minutes, hugging herself tightly, trying to calm herself and shake the nightmares off.  _Anna is okay.  Anna is alive.  Anna is all right._   Then she noticed the state her bedroom was in, and groaned.

Ice covered the walls, and an ankle-deep layer of snow had piled up on the floor, never mind the snow still suspended in the air.  _Love will thaw, love will thaw!_ she thought to herself, trying to thaw the room.  When that didn't work right away, she tried to think of a happy memory of Anna, and thought of the moment earlier that evening, when Anna shouted with glee as she mimed punching Hans in the face.  Elsa giggled, but thought to herself again, _Love will thaw._   She remembered the feel of Anna's hugs, and finally, the ice and snow melted, and then evaporated into nothing.  But she still couldn't get the horrible images out of her mind.  There was only one thing she knew of that would help.

Crawling out of bed slowly, Elsa went over to the wardrobe and pulled out a robe (blue, like everything else, a pale shade that matched her eyes), wrapping it around her.  Even though the cold never bothered her, she still had to maintain appearances; it simply wouldn't do for the Queen to be out wandering the castle in her nightgown.

Elsa slipped out into the hallway, drawing the attention of the guard she had just spoken to.  He snapped to attention, and asked, "Did you need something, Your Majesty?"

"No... I'm just going to visit my sister," Elsa replied.

"Do you need an escort?" the guard asked.

"No, there's no need for that," Elsa said, smiling.  "I know the way.  As you were, Guardsman."  The guard saluted, and continued his patrol of the hallway.

She made her way down the hall to where Anna's room—her old room—was.  This wasn't the first time she'd come here since moving out; Elsa had visited her sister on several occasions, in the dead of night, when she was sure that Anna was fast asleep.  In the three years since their parents were lost, it had given her some comfort to see that at least Anna was safe.

She stopped at the door, and put her ear to it, expecting to hear her sister's distinctive snoring.  Instead, she heard whimpering, sniffling sounds.  "Anna?" Elsa called in a worried voice.  When no answer came, she opened the door quietly and tiptoed inside.

Anna was in quite a state.  Her notorious bedhead, which typically looked like a lion's mane, was the least of Elsa's worries; it was the expression of grief and sadness, and the tears running down her cheeks, that made Elsa rush right over to the bed and sit on the edge, placing a comforting hand on Anna's arm. "Anna," Elsa said gently, "please wake up."

Anna cracked her eyes open slowly, and upon seeing Elsa she murmured, "Elsa?"

Elsa smiled down at her sister warmly.  "I'm right here, Anna."

" _Elsa!_ " Anna cried, engulfing her in a hug.  Elsa almost fell off of the bed, just managing to keep her balance as she returned the hug.

"Anna," Elsa said quietly, as the strawberry-blonde wept into the shoulder of her robe, "are you all right?"

"Y-yeah," came the muffled reply from Elsa's shoulder.  After a moment, her sister corrected herself, "Well, n-no.  I... h-had a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Elsa asked.

"N-not really..." Anna mumbled.

"I had bad dreams too, Anna, and I have a feeling they were similar to yours," Elsa said, rubbing circles in her sister's back.  "You didn't reach me in time, did you?"

Anna shook her head mutely, the tears still falling.

"Anna, look at me," Elsa insisted.  Anna pulled back and looked at her, her sea-blue eyes red-rimmed from crying.  "I'm right here, Anna.  I'm all right.  It was just a nightmare," Elsa told her, brushing the tears from Anna's face.

Anna sniffled, trying to calm herself.  "I k-know.  But w-what if I h-hadn't been there?"

"The past is in the past," Elsa said, taking Anna's hand and gently squeezing it.  "Just... let it go."  It felt odd, saying those words now, but she thought they were appropriate.

"I'll t-try," Anna said, now a bit calmer.  "But what about _you?_   You've _never_ visited me in the middle of the night before."

"Actually, Anna, I have," Elsa said, smiling, "many times.  But you usually sleep like a rock and don't hear me."

"Why... why would you visit me, when you always shut me out otherwise?"  There was a hint of bitterness in her sister's tone.

"Anna," Elsa said sadly, "are you angry with me?"

"Well... maybe a little," Anna admitted.  "There were... times... during the isolation, that I thought you hated me, that I had done something wrong to earn being shut out.  There were even times I thought I should hate you for it.

"But I could never hate you, Elsa.  I know now that you everything you did was to protect me, because you were scared.  And that means you couldn't have hated me, either."  She sighed.  "I'm not happy with Mama and Papa for what they did, separating us both from each other and the rest of the world, and keeping secrets.  But they thought what they were doing was best.

"I love you, Elsa, and I know you love me, too.  There's no need for secrets anymore." Anna gave her sister's hand a squeeze.

Finally, Elsa said, "Ever since the accident, I've had nightmares.  Dreams of losing you for good that night, or of accidentally hurting you again.  But yesterday, that very thing I'd been dreading for thirteen years happened.  I lost control, and I nearly l-lost you today as a result."

Her voice broke, and tears welled in her eyes.  "In my d-dream, I saw you s-shatter into a thousand pieces under Hans's sword, or n-not thaw at all," she sobbed, burying her face in her sister's shoulder.  "You were d-dead and gone, and it was all my f-fault..."

"Shh, shh... it's all right, Elsa.  I'm all right," Anna said soothingly, embracing her in a firm hug.  "That creep is locked in the dungeon now, and there's no way he's going to be able to hurt us again." She sat there, just holding onto her sister, then added, "And as long as you remember that love will thaw, _you_ can't hurt me again, either."

"I don't know that for sure, Anna," Elsa said miserably.  "Just because I know how to thaw doesn't change the fact that my powers still come out when my emotions aren't under control."  She gestured at the room, where snow from her fragile emotional state had fallen.

Her sister said nothing, and they sat there on the bed, just holding onto each other, for a long few minutes.  Finally, Elsa pulled away, and brushed the tears from her eyes, sniffling softly.  "I... I should probably go," she said finally.  "I don't want to wreck your room."  She waved her hand, willing the snow to dissipate.

"Elsa, wait," Anna pleaded.  Brushing a wild strand of strawberry-blonde hair out of her face, she said, "You said your door would always be open to me.  I wanted you to know that mine is, too."

"Anna, I..." Elsa trailed off.  She smoothed the fabric of her robe absently, and asked softly, "C-can... can I...?"

Anna nodded, understanding what Elsa was trying to ask, and scooted over in the bed, patting the spot next to her.  Elsa pulled off her robe and crawled in beside her, and squeezed her sister's hand before curling up on her side.

"Good night, Elsa," Anna said.

"Good night, Anna," Elsa answered.

Neither of them had any trouble falling asleep then, and no more bad dreams came that night.

* * *

The next morning, Gerda came calling on Elsa, having noticed that she wasn't up and about at her usual time.  When she got no answer at the Queen's bedroom door, she went in and discovered that she wasn't there.  She had a hunch she knew where to look, though.

Gerda went down the hall, and peeked in the door of Anna's room, smiling at the sight of the sisters curled up in the bed together, sleeping peacefully.

_Just like when they were children,_ the maid thought.  _I'll let them rest some more.  After all they went through, they deserve it._

* * *

Some time later, Elsa awoke to Kai's voice at the door. "Your Majesty?" came the call.  "It's time to get up."

Elsa was normally an early riser, and did not usually require being woken up.  But it seemed that she'd finally found the good night's sleep she'd been looking for.  This didn't feel like her own bed, though...

"Five more minutes, Kai," she heard Anna mumble next to her, before turning over in the bed.  Elsa opened her eyes slowly, blinking at the light coming in the window, and said aloud, "Hmm?"

"Sorry to wake you, Your Majesty," Kai said, "but you have a Council meeting to attend this morning, and you need to get ready."

Elsa looked around for a clock, only then remembering that she was in Anna's room.  _All of the pink things in this room should have given it away,_ she thought.  _I thought green was her favorite color?  Maybe I should ask._   Finding the clock, she was alarmed at what time it showed: _almost nine o'clock!_   Elsa cursed under her breath and leaped out of the bed.

She looked back at her sister, her red-gold hair sticking out in all directions, one arm propped up behind her head, hand dangling in the air.  _How is that even comfortable?_ Elsa wondered.  A thought occurred to her, and she walked back over to the bed and sat down, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder.  "Anna," she said gently, "I may need your help.  Do you think you could get up?"

Anna yawned, and slowly sat up, her eyes not quite open yet.  "Huh, what?" she babbled.

Sighing, Elsa said the only thing she was sure would wake Anna up right away.  "Do you want to build a snowmaaaaan?" she asked, dragging the last word out playfully.

Anna's eyes flew open.  "Wait, what?  Really?  Now?  Great, let's go!"  She leaped out of the bed and made a beeline for the door, nearly tripping and falling in the process.

"Hang on, Anna," Elsa said, stopping her.  She hated to do this, but it was necessary.  "We can't build one right _now._   I'd like your support at the meeting this morning.  We can build as many snowmen as you like afterwards."

Anna's face fell, but she said, "Okay."

"Find something semi-formal to wear," Elsa instructed, "and put your hair up.  I'll be back in a bit, and then we can go get some breakfast.  And Anna..." she said, pausing at the door, a mischievous grin on her face.  "If you're asleep again when I come back, I'll be forced to use _drastic_ measures."  She made some ice swirl over her palm for emphasis, then opened the door.

"You wouldn't dare," Anna said, horrified.  Elsa only grinned wider.  "All right, I'll get ready." Anna sighed, defeated.  "But I'm totally going to have a snowball fight with you to make up for it."

Elsa smirked.  "I've never lost a snowball fight," she boasted as she stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her.

"Ooohh...!  Bring it on, sister!" she heard Anna shout as she headed back to her own room.

* * *

Anna kept her word, though, and was ready when Elsa returned.  Anna had chosen a dress of deep gold, with a pale green blouse and dark bodice, and had her hair up in a bun.  The Queen had elected to wear a formal dress of black and teal, similar to what she wore at her coronation.  She had her hair up in the same elaborate braid, wrapped around her head and pinned in place.  She did not wear her gloves, which relieved Anna greatly.

Anna noted the absence of Elsa's crown, which would have perched on top of the pinned braid.  In fact, Anna hadn't seen the thing since her sister fled Arendelle.  _Probably left it at her ice palace,_ Anna mused.  Glancing over at her sister, she noticed that Elsa seemed to be lost in thought.

"Elsa?" Anna said.  "You look a little out of it, sister,"

"I'm okay, Anna," Elsa assured her.  "Really.  I was just thinking about the crown I left on the North Mountain, and how I really ought to go look for it.  I don't want to have to get another one made if I don't need to."

Anna smiled, amazed at how very alike the two of them thought.  "You read my mind, Elsa."

"I did?" Elsa said, looking puzzled.

"Yeah," Anna laughed.  "Just another thing sisters do, I guess.  Well, you shouldn't go alone."  She paused, then burst out, "Oooh!  You can take all of us with you, and give a tour of your ice palace!"

"That's a good idea, Anna," Elsa said, but her face again betrayed some discomfort at the idea.  _Why is she so nervous about going back there?_ Anna wondered.  "I'll give it some thought, and we'll ask the others later what they think."  She exited the bedroom with her sister and they started walking down to the dining room.

Gesturing to Elsa's current attire, Anna said, "That looks a lot like your coronation dress."

Elsa nodded, but said, "It's not the same one.  As I discovered before dinner last evening, I can't bring back the dress I made the ice dress over, so that one is gone.  Fortunately, I have others that are similar."

"How come I didn't see any?" Anna wanted to know, referring to her raid of Elsa's wardrobe the night before.  "All I saw was blue, lighter blue, darker blue..."

"I have more than one wardrobe, Anna," Elsa said, smirking.  "Besides, I'm sure if I looked in _your_ wardrobe, I would find an abundance of green dresses."

"I have other colors besides green!" Anna retorted, pointing to the dark goldenrod dress she was wearing now.  It was actually a fall color, not summer, but she didn't care.  "See?"

"One dress," Elsa snickered.

"Ooohh... just wait!  I'll find you something nice in _pink_ to wear to the next ball!" Anna crossed her arms triumphantly, figuring she'd won the argument.  That is, until the magically-conjured snowball landed on her head.  "AH!  Cold!" she squealed.

"Actually, Anna, I _do_ like pink," Elsa said cheerfully, then added, "Just not as much as you.  Come on, let's go get something to eat."

Anna brushed the snow from her hair and followed her sister meekly.  _Just you wait, sister,_ she thought, plans forming in her mind.  _I will get my revenge!_

Breakfast was a simple affair of tea and porridge, and went by fairly quickly, compared to dinner the previous night.  Before either of them knew it, they were standing at the door to the Council chambers, waiting for Kai to announce them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** These chapters seem to come together in a sort of organic fashion; I'll have an idea ("Elsa has a nightmare") and then expand on it ("well, it stands to reason that Anna had one too, about the same thing; it's fresh on their minds") and then it (pardon the pun) snowballs from there.  Unfortunately, that was the _ only _idea I had for this chapter, so I wound up tacking on some of the surrounding chapters (which were getting rather long) to make up for it._
> 
> _–First and foremost: while there will be sisterly fluff here and there, there will NOT be any so-called 'Elsanna' in this fan fiction, period! Let's keep our minds out of the gutter, okay?_
> 
> _–As you can see, Elsa is still having doubts about her control, though she tries to put on a good façade in public.  We'll see how that plays out._
> 
> _–I gave Gerda a brief POV here.  Lucky her!_
> 
> _–Again, I know nothing about dresses. All I have for inspiration in that department is the movie, and various fan art (from my time on Tumblr)._
> 
> _–As for the coronation dress, I rationalize here that it was destroyed when Elsa made the ice dress.  Even if it hadn't been, it would have been damaged (the bare shoulders, the slit in the skirt), but I can't see how she would reverse the process (and remain decent), so that's that._
> 
> _**Next chapter:** boring unnamed council people, and more exposition!_


	5. Decisions

After a short wait, Kai told them the councilmen were ready, and opened the door, calling out, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and Princess Anna of Arendelle!"  Elsa and Anna entered the chamber at a dignified pace (or, at least _Elsa_ did; her sister sort of shuffled into the room awkwardly).  Inside was a long table, around which were the men serving on her Council—the Ministers of Defense, Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Agriculture, Captain Rolf of the Guards, and the Mayor of Arendelle Town—as well as the group of foreign dignitaries she had spoken to the previous day, save only the Duke of Weselton.

The Councilmen stood respectfully on their arrival, and the Queen said, "Gentlemen, good morning."  The men murmured greetings in return, though she noticed that some of them were glancing Anna's way, evidently puzzled by her presence.  Elsa strode to the tall-backed chair at the head of the table, motioned Anna over to the empty chair to her right, and sat.  Her sister and the Councilmen followed suit.

"Your Majesty," the defense minister asked, "may I ask why the Princess is in attendance?"

Anna shot out of her seat to object, only to be stopped by her sister's outstretched hand.  "Does she _need_ a reason, Minister?" the Queen asked him, as Anna reluctantly settled in her seat again.  "She is inexperienced, yes, but that can be remedied.  Anna is the heir to the throne, if not yet crowned.  So unless some unforeseen circumstance produces another heir, the Princess has every right to be here."  She hoped the flat glare she gave the assembled men would dissuade them from discussing _that_ particular topic today.

"To answer your question, Minister," Elsa continued, "Anna is here because I _asked_ her to come.  I sincerely hope you are not suggesting she is undeserving of a voice on this Council, when it is needed?"  The minister flinched at her harder tone.

"Of course not, Your Majesty," the Minister of Defense said.  Turning to Anna, he said, "I apologize, Your Highness.  I meant no disrespect."  Anna nodded curtly in reply.

"Thank you, Minister," Elsa said, clearing her throat.  "Now then.  Gentlemen, first and foremost, I must apologize for the incident that followed my coronation four nights ago.  I can assure you that it was accidental on my part, and it will not happen again, unknowingly or unchecked, while I am Queen."  She paused, then said, "I'm sure you all have questions regarding my powers, but before I hear them, I feel that I owe you a full explanation.

"I have had these powers of ice and snow since I was born, though they did not appear right away, or so my parents told me.  The magic is tied to my emotional state, and controlling it is difficult at best, especially since, until recently, I did not understand how to undo what I had done—to thaw.  Unfortunately, before I could learn this, an accident with my sister when I was eight prompted my father to shut the gates, reduce the staff, and keep my powers a close secret, known only to a few.  This was done for everyone's protection, especially Anna's, until such time as I learned to control them.

"As I now know, concealing my powers was the worst possible decision my parents could have made.  I never learned to control them, only to conceal them, simply because I allowed my fear to rule me—fear of my powers, the fear of hurting someone.  As a result, they tended to burst out, forcing me to spend the majority of the last thirteen years isolated.

"At the coronation ball, my sister and I got into an argument over her obviously unwise decision to accept the marriage proposal of Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, after knowing him for less than a day.  She pushed me too hard, and I lost what little control I had, revealing my powers to everyone in the room, and to the people in the courtyard when I ran.  I believed that I could protect the people by fleeing Arendelle, yet my flight is precisely what caused the winter to begin.

"I built a refuge on the North Mountain, intending to stay there indefinitely, but Anna eventually found me, and told me what had happened.  I lost control again, accidentally striking her with my powers.  The morning after she left, Prince Hans and his search party arrived, and the Duke of Weselton's guards attempted to kill me.  While they did not succeed, a stray shot caused a chandelier to fall, and when I tried to dive out of the way, I was knocked unconscious.

"I was locked in the castle dungeon with special shackles that covered my hands like gloves.  I don't know where Prince Hans found them, but I can only assume that they were ordered made by my father for some dire scenario in which I lost all control of my powers."  Anna gasped at this bit of information.  "It's the only logical explanation, Anna.  In any case, they were not strong enough to contain my powers when my fears for Arendelle—and fear for my life, when I heard guards coming—grew out of control, and I was able to break them and escape.

"Prince Hans was able to find me in the blizzard on the fjord.  He lied and told me that Anna was dead, by my hand, and as I collapsed in grief, he drew his sword, intending to end my life then and there.  Anna was in fact alive, though the strike from my powers was slowly causing her body to freeze from the inside.  Hans had left her to freeze to death in the library, but by a miracle she was able to escape.  She made it out to the fjord just in time to leap in front of Hans' sword, her body freezing solid.

"Her act of self-sacrifice shattered Hans' sword, and at the same time broke the curse on her, thawing her back to life.  This act of true love gave me the clue I needed to control my powers, and thaw the winter: _love will thaw._   Prince Hans was... _removed_ from the ship we were standing on—" Elsa paused to wink at Anna, "—and taken to the dungeons, where he now awaits my judgment."

The Queen stood, and said, "Now, before I answer your questions, I have one of my own, for our foreign visitors."  She fixed the dignitaries with an icy stare, and took a deep breath.  "I would like to know," she began, her voice and anger rising, "just _what_ authority Prince Hans claimed to have, in order to convince you that I was to be _executed, without trial!_ " Her last words were punctuated with a sharp _crack!_ as she smacked one hand against the tabletop, causing ice to dance across it.  The temperature in the chamber fell noticeably.

The men flinched, shocked by her outburst; finally, the Spanish dignitary spoke up.  "He... he claimed that you had killed your sister, and that they had exchanged marriage vows before her death."

Next to her, Elsa saw Anna ball her hands into fists, a look of fresh fury and hatred on her face.  The Queen placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder, and she relaxed a little.  But the Queen was not done venting.

"And you actually _believed_ that," Elsa stated, her voice cold.  "Did none of you think to ask for _proof_ of her death, to see her body?  As for marriage vows, they require a priest and a witness, and by your words, he had _neither!_ "  It required nearly all of her effort to keep her powers from freezing the room—and the table she was leaning on—in a layer of ice.  "And in _no_ case should Hans Westerguard—a foreign national, left in charge for only a few days, without any proof of claim to the throne, besides his word—have been granted the right to _summarily execute_ a prisoner, much less the ruling monarch!"

Elsa took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.  She looked over at Anna, who was gripping her skirts with her clenched hands.  Feeling her sister's gaze, the strawberry-blonde loosened her grip and tried to appear dignified.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," Captain Rolf said, "not all of us supported the prince's actions.  I, for one, would have no part in it, and I have since spoken to those of my men who went along with it."

"And for that, I thank you," the Queen replied.  "Your loyalty is to be commended, Captain."  Turning back to the now-silent Council—and the foreign dignitaries—Elsa said, "I will not hold the four of you to blame for this incident, for believing his lies; it is now obvious to me that Hans is a cunning, manipulative man, and quite possibly was planning this all out from the moment of his arrival.  All the more reason, then, for me to make my decision now.

"I hereby declare that Prince Hans Westerguard is to be banished from Arendelle, and be deported back to the Southern Isles, to be judged by his twelve brothers, and his father the King, for his crimes against Arendelle."

"Are you sure this is wise, Your Majesty?" the captain asked.  "You have every right to try and execute the man for what he's done."

"I know, Captain," Elsa said, "and I might consider doing so, if I did not fear serious repercussions from the Southern Isles, or being seen as a tyrant by the people.  Therefore, I have chosen to be merciful, and let his family deal with him.  If he ever returns to Arendelle, however, things will not go well for him."

"Your Majesty, if I may?" the French dignitary spoke up.  "I would be willing to transport him to the Southern Isles on my way back to France.  I leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank you, Ambassador," the Queen replied.  "That would be most kind of you.  I will have Captain Rolf arrange for the prince to given into your custody before you leave."

"It is my pleasure, Your Majesty," the Frenchman said.  Captain Rolf gave a nod in reply.

"What of Weselton's treachery?" the Minister of Defense asked.  "Surely the Duke will be punished somehow?"

"He and his men will be sent back to Weselton tomorrow." Elsa answered.  "I do not have any proof that the Duke ordered his men to kill me, but he will not go unpunished for his actions.  As for his men, they will likely be imprisoned."  She eyed the Minister of Finance, bracing for his reaction to her next words.  "My punishment, as I already hinted to him, is to cut off trade with Weselton.  Permanently, or until such time as he and others who wish to exploit our goods are removed from power."

"Your Majesty, surely you aren't serious?" the finance minister blurted, paling somewhat.  "Weselton is a valuable trading partner!"

"It seems to me, Minister, that _we_ are more valuable to Weselton than _they_ are to us," the Queen replied, "and I have heard multiple rumors of their crooked dealings with other countries.  I will probably regret denying the people of his duchy our goods, but this is as merciful as I am willing to be with him.  I will, of course, be approaching other nations to open trade with.  Corona, in particular; I will be discussing trade possibilities with the Crown Princess before she returns home."

"Very well," the minister conceded.  "But this may yet have consequences down the road."

"He does raise a good point," the Minister of Foreign Affairs began, "If—or rather, when—word of this gets out, some of the other nations may also choose to sever ties with them.  This, in turn, could ruin Weselton, and potentially benefit Arendelle, if those countries then approach us."

"Thank you, Minister," Elsa said.  "Now, seeing as we got sidetracked a bit, I will now hear your questions or concerns regarding my powers."

Unsurprisingly, it was the Minister of Defense who spoke first.  "Your Majesty, is there any... practical use they can be put to?"  Elsa tensed, knowing exactly what he was hinting at.

"I think I know what you're trying to say, Minister," the Queen replied.  She glanced at each of them in turn, and her tone became hard.  "Know this, gentlemen: I will _not_ use my powers as a weapon of war or conquest.  I can certainly use them to defend or shield the people in an attack, or for other defensive purposes.  Only in the last defense of my own life or my sister's would I even _consider_ using them as a weapon!"

"Please, Your Majesty," the minister said timidly.  "I meant no offense.  But you have to be aware of the possibilities, the tactical advantage—"

"That is _entirely_ my point!" Elsa shouted, slapping her palm on the table once again.  "I do not wish to be seen as a tyrant with godlike powers!  I would have Arendelle remain neutral altogether, if we did not have such close friends as the Northern Isles and Corona who may request our aid someday.  I will not use my abilities to shift the balance of power!  As your colleague the Minister of Foreign Affairs could tell you, to do so would draw unwanted attention upon Arendelle.  How would you feel if we suddenly had France, Germany, Spain, or England breathing down our necks, eager to secure my powers for their own purposes, or declare war to remove the threat of them?

"And another thing," the Queen continued.  "I may not be the only person with magical abilities in this world.  Though magic is a very rare gift, it is possible for there to be others."  She chose to refrain from mentioning Rapunzel, or the trolls; it was better for their abilities to be kept a secret.  "Reports of my freezing Arendelle will already draw enough attention to us.  If I openly use my powers for war, as you suggest, it could bring war down on Arendelle, possibly even from others who possess magic.  I do not wish to bring chaos and destruction down on Arendelle, simply to give us a 'tactical advantage'.  I will not!"

The Council sat, stunned to silence again by her latest outburst.  Into the silence Anna spoke up.  "Elsa... the table..."  Elsa looked over at her sister, and now noticed that the table was indeed frozen solid, from one end to the other, the ice radiating out from where she slapped the tabletop.

"Oh... sorry." Elsa murmured apologetically, trying her best to will the ice away, but as tense as she was, she wasn't making much progress.

"Gentlemen, please try to understand," Anna said, watching her sister try to thaw the table.  "As she told you, she has spent most of her life in hiding, concealing her powers, just so that she _wouldn't hurt anyone._   Do you really think that desire has changed, despite her new-found control?"  She beamed at her sister.  "She cares too much for you, for me, and for the people of Arendelle to put them at risk.  Even if she _could_ wipe out entire armies or navies with a wave of her hand, she would not, simply because she's not that kind of person.  I will not be party to violating my sister's morals.  I stand with her on this issue."

Those on the Council who thought it odd that Anna was invited to the meeting (which was quite a few of them, though only the defense minister had dared to voice it) were shocked by this speech, as was Elsa herself.  Several gasped at the speed at which the ice on the table thawed, as the Queen listened to her sister voice her support.  Who knew that the clumsy, carefree, outgoing Princess was capable of such eloquent words?

Finally, Elsa managed to find her voice.  "Thank you, Anna," she said gratefully.  "That means a lot to me."

Turning to the men at the table, she said, "I assume there are no more questions?"

"Just one, Your Majesty," the Irish ambassador said.  "Given your concern for the people's well-being, are you going to be using your powers in public?"

Elsa heard the unvoiced part of his question— _or are you going to go back to hiding them?_ —and replied, "Yes, absolutely."  At their astonished looks, she said, "Concealing my power is what led to my outburst four days ago.  I can't keep it bottled up forever, not without putting everyone at risk. I can, however, use it in a peaceful manner—as entertainment for the people, for example.

"Which leads me to the other order of business for which I summoned you here this morning," the Queen said.  "What should the people be told?  I would hear your advice, gentlemen."

"Your Majesty, if I may speak?" the Mayor of Arendelle Town said.  The portly man was the Council's only civilian member, but he was invaluable for his connection to the common people.  At Elsa's nod, he continued, "Just tell them what they need to know.  You don't need to tell them where your powers came from, or about the mistakes you've made.  As long as you convince them that you have control, and that there is nothing for them to fear from you or your powers, we can live in peace and harmony."

"Thank you, Mayor," Elsa said kindly.  "That sounds just about right."  She paused, thinking about how she might prove her benevolence to the people.  "Gentlemen, I don't suppose any of you would object to a small... demonstration, tomorrow?  It would help the people to warm up to me, and be comfortable with my powers."

"What did you have in mind, Your Majesty?" the mayor wondered.

"An ice-skating rink, in the main courtyard," the Queen replied, glancing at her sister.

"That sounds wonderful, Elsa," Anna said, beaming.  "I'm sure the people would love it."

This was followed by a chorus of affirmatives from the Council members.  Addressing the foreign dignitaries, Elsa said, "Ambassadors, I will understand if you are unable to come, as I'm sure you have duties to attend to."  The dignitaries murmured their apologies, and the Frenchman met the Queen's gaze, simply giving a nod of understanding; he knew what his duty was.

Turning to the others, Elsa said, "I would like for the townsfolk to meet me in the courtyard at approximately two o'clock tomorrow afternoon.  I will speak to them briefly, and then we shall enjoy ourselves for a while."  To the Mayor, she said, "Spread the word, if you would."

"With pleasure, Your Majesty," the mayor replied.

"A few other things, before we adjourn for the day," the Queen said.  "It is my understanding that many ships were damaged in the storm yesterday.  I am hereby authorizing the Minister of Finance to compensate those persons for the damage, and for the cost of repairs."  Turning to the Minister of Agriculture, she asked, "Are there any reports of damaged crops or other goods from the freeze?"

"No, your Majesty," the minister said, "which I find very odd, but I can't complain."

"Very good," Elsa said, and continued.  "Finally, and perhaps most importantly: I have, as of yesterday, instituted an open-gate policy for the castle.  As I have already instructed the Captain of the Guards"—she paused, giving Rolf a nod—"except in dire circumstances, the gates are to remain open from now on."

The Minister of Defense opened his mouth to object, but the Queen held up a hand.  "I understand your objections," she said.  "Security will be increased accordingly, and Captain Rolf is tasked with recruiting more men for the Guards.  For thirteen long years, the royal family of Arendelle has not been able to be open and treat with their people in a normal manner.  It is time for that to change."

"Very well, Your Majesty," the defense minister conceded.  Turning to the captain, he said, "I will make the necessary arrangements to aid you in your recruiting efforts."

"Thank you, Minister," Rolf replied.

"Now then," Elsa said, "if there are no other urgent matters to discuss at this time...?"  When no one stirred, she said, "You are dismissed, then.  Good day, gentlemen."  With that, the Council dispersed, as did the dignitaries.

Before he could leave, Elsa waved the Frenchman over.  "I am grateful for your assistance, Ambassador.  Thank you."

"You're welcome, Your Majesty," he said, bowing, then left the council chamber, leaving her alone with Anna.

"Well, sister, I didn't know you had it in you," Elsa teased.  "That was quite the little speech."

"You said you needed my support," Anna said, smiling, "and I'm always willing to stand up for you, Elsa."

"Thanks, Anna," the blonde said warmly, awkwardly pulling her sister into a hug.  Suddenly she felt herself grinning, and pulled away from Anna, looking her in the eyes.  "Hey Anna... you know what would be _perfect_ right now, after a long, _boring_ Council meeting...?"  She licked her lips, hoping Anna got the message.

She did.  " _Choooocolate,_ " they said in unison, then burst into giggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** This chapter took a lot longer to write; as the dinner was originally the focus of the story, I had to do some actual _ thinking _to put together the Council meeting.  (I apologize for dumping more exposition on you, but it seemed necessary.)_
> 
> _–I put the Spanish dignitary on the spot simply because, in the movie, he seemed to be the quickest to look to Hans for leadership._
> 
> _–The members of the Council I basically made up on the fly; a Mayor was included so that the common people have a representative (and thus someone for Elsa to consult with on public affairs)._
> 
> _–The "only in the last defense of my life or my sister's" bit is an accidental nod to the late Robert Jordan's_ The Wheel of Time _epic fantasy series._
> 
> _–First mention of the Northern Isles.  (Obviously, if there are_ Southern _Isles, there must be_ Northern _Isles too, right?)_
> 
> _**Next chapter:** snowmen, dungeons, and a sword fight!_


	6. An Unpleasant Visit

After about an hour of indulging in every kind of chocolate the castle kitchens had to offer (which was quite a bit, and there was some the kitchen staff didn't even know about), Elsa kept her promise and took Anna to the ballroom, which was also the castle's throne room, with said throne on a dais at one end of it.  They proceeded to build snowman after snowman, just like Anna always wanted.

"Hey, Elsa?" Anna asked her, in the middle of assembling a snowman body. "Did you mean what you said, about wanting to remedy my inexperience?"

"You mean, teaching you about affairs of state, and politics, those sorts of things?"  Anna nodded, and Elsa said, "Of course I mean it, Anna.  I could teach you myself, I suppose..."

"But, don't you have your own duties to worry about?" Anna inquired.

"Yes... but you can learn quite a bit from observation," the Queen said.  "It wouldn't hurt to have you sit in on more Council meetings.  I could teach you how to help with the paperwork, too; you can learn a lot from reading trade agreements and such."

"But that sounds really _boring,_ " Anna complained.  "Even learning how to use a sword sounds more interesting."

Elsa rolled her eyes, amused by her sister's selective tenacity.  An idea came to her, and she said, "You know, Anna, if you helped with the paperwork, I would have more time to spend with you."

Anna sighed, defeated.  "Fair point," she said, and moved on to the next snowman.

After building a small army of non-magical, non-living snowmen, Elsa tried to teach her sister to skate, but the attempt failed miserably, with Anna falling down fairly often.

"Come on, Anna," Elsa teased, pulling her sister up for the half-dozenth time.  "How will this look tomorrow, in front of all those people?"

"I don't _have_ to skate if I don't want to..." the strawberry-blonde said stubbornly, still unsteady on her feet.

"I insist, Anna," Elsa said firmly.  "Let's just work on your balance, for starters..."

This went on for another hour, by which time Elsa was convinced that Anna was going to need a _lot_ more practice.

"We'll try again tomorrow, Anna," the blonde sighed, dispelling the ice and snow in the room.  "Maybe Olaf can help..."  A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she said, "Anna... why don't you go find Olaf, and introduce him to our guests from Corona?  I'm sure they'd like to meet him."

"Okay... sure!" Anna said, running off.  For some reason, she poked her head back in the door a moment later, before taking off again, but Elsa paid it no mind as she left the room by a different door.

As she wondered absently when she would get around to using the throne room for its intended purpose (holding court), she made her way to the barracks, to the office of the Captain of the Guards.  Rolf had come here after the meeting to go over lists of possible recruits.

Knocking before entering, she strode in and said, "Captain, a moment?"

"Certainly, Your Majesty," Captain Rolf said.  "What can I do for you?"

"I am going to pay our prisoner a visit," the Queen replied.  She felt a little guilty not telling Anna she was doing this; no doubt her sister would have insisted on joining her, so she could put another dent in Prince Hans's face.  But at least _someone_ would know where she was going, in case something happened.  _Not that that's likely,_ Elsa thought.  "Can you spare some men to accompany me?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."  The Captain gave a shrill whistle, and several men came marching into the office.  "You and you," he said, singling out two of them.  "Escort the Queen to the dungeon, please."

"Yes, sir!" the two Guardsmen echoed.

"Thank you, Captain," Elsa said, and left, the two guards flanking her.

* * *

"Excuse me," Anna asked a guard out in the courtyard.  "Have you seen my sister's snowman, Olaf, today?"

"Yes, Your Highness," the guard replied.  "I encountered him on his way to the stables.  Said something about looking for your cousin...?"

"That sounds about right," Anna laughed, and added in a more regal voice, "Thank you, Guardsman.  Carry on."  She dashed off toward the stables.

After searching the castle and not finding Olaf, Anna had figured the next logical place to look would be the stables, since Sven and Olaf seemed to enjoy hanging out together.  Now it seemed Olaf was a step ahead of her: she could hear the Prince of Corona's excited voice, evidently telling one of his stories, when she arrived at the stables.

"So I landed right on Max," Eugene was saying, "and he leaped _off of the castle wall_ down to a house in the town below!"

"Whoaaaa..." she heard Olaf say in awe.

"It was scary," Eugene admitted, "but then we landed in the street, and I said to Max, 'Okay Max, let's see how fast you can run!'  And he _really_ took off!  It couldn't have been more than fifteen or twenty minutes before we were at Rapunzel's tower!"

"Was she all right?" Olaf wondered, as Anna walked into the stables.

"Well... sort of," Eugene said, then spotted Anna.  "Hey there, Ginger!"

" _Eugene,_ " Rapunzel warned, then said, "Hi, Anna.  We were just getting to know your friend Olaf!  He's pretty funny!"

"He sure is," Anna said.  Looking around, she asked, "Where's Pascal?"

Rapunzel walked over to one of the haystacks, acting nonchalant.  "Oh, he's around here... _somewhere!_ "  Rapunzel's hand darted out, catching the little chameleon who had attempted to blend in with the hay.  "Come on, silly, you know that won't work on me!" she told him, giggling and setting him up on her shoulder.

Anna laughed.  "It's funny, 'cause I was looking for Olaf, so I could introduce him to you, but he seems to have gotten a head start..."

"Kristoff told me last night about your dinner, and how I ought to meet them," the snowman said.

"Really?  How _much_ did he tell you?" Anna wondered, her eyes narrowing.

"Pretty much everything," Olaf admitted, "but I don't remember all of it.  I do remember being sad that you and Elsa were apart for so long.  But everything's better now, right?"

"Right!" Anna said happily.  Walking over to the Coronans, she said, "You must be Maximus."  She held a hand out to the tall, white stallion, and he allowed her to pat him.

"I hear you're good with a sword," she cooed.  Maximus grinned (which is quite a sight on a horse), and when she scratched him under the chin, he gave a soft neigh of approval.

"You ladies seem to have that effect on him," Eugene commented.  "I couldn't get him to trust me for _days!_ "

"That's because you were a thief," Rapunzel pointed out.  "And sometimes, you still act like one."

"Aw, Blondie," Eugene whined.  "I only stole your crown a few times..."

"A few _dozen,_ maybe," the brunette shot back, poking him in the chest.

"Hey, listen," Anna said, trying to break up their argument.  "Elsa might like to talk to the two of you later.  See, she's kinda breaking off trade with Weselton—"

"Really?" Rapunzel said.  "That's quite a gamble.  But that miserable little duke deserves it."

"Well, she thought she could talk to you about possible trade deals before you leave," Anna finished.

"I suppose we could do that," the Coronan Princess said, thoughtful.  "Eugene and I could go see her now, if she's available..."

"I don't know," Anna admitted.  "I didn't see her in her study, or in the library, or in the storage closet, or in the throne room, when I was looking for Olaf.  I'm not sure where she went."

"Why would Queen Elsa be in a storage closet?" Eugene asked, confused.

"Why would _I_ be in a closet?" Olaf wondered, equally puzzled.

Anna mentally cursed herself; that visit to the upstairs storage closet had to do with her plans for later.  "Never mind, I'll explain later," she said.

"That's okay, Anna," Rapunzel said.  "We can go look for her later this afternoon."

"Yeah," Eugene put in.  "I mean, it's not like she's down in the _dungeon,_ right?"  Anna laughed, as if that was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Thinking about dungeons and swords gave Anna a brilliant idea.  "Hey, I've got an idea!" she announced.  "I just need to go and get some things.  I'll be right back!" she said, as she raced out the stable door.

* * *

Of course, despite the absurdity, the dungeon was exactly where Elsa was.  Striding to the end of the main dungeon hallway, her two escorts trailing her, she glanced at the gaping hole where her outburst (and a beaten-down door) the previous day had let a draft into the dungeon.  With a wave of her hand, a solid wall of ice filled the hole in the broken cell wall, and then another appeared over the empty doorway.

"That should do, until it's repaired," she muttered.  Walking back the way she came, Elsa motioned for her escorts to wait at the entrance, and turned down a side hallway, stopping at the cell door where two more guards were standing watch.  "I'd like to speak with the prisoner," she said.  "Alone."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," one of the guards said, unlocking and opening the door.  Elsa stepped inside, letting the guard close the door behind her.

The cell was mostly dark, the midday sun only barely coming through the barred window.  The Queen waved her hand, making a ball of glowing ice appear above her palm.  She then saw the figure sitting propped against the far wall, eyeing her warily.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," the man said.  "This is an unexpected pleasure."

"I'm afraid it is most _un_ pleasant for me, Master Westerguard," Elsa said, her tone acid.  Walking towards him, she stopped a safe distance away, yet close enough that she could see his face.

Hans Westerguard had definitely seen better days.  Besides looking generally disheveled (being fished out of the water and thrown into a cell for a day had certainly left its mark), his nose was definitely more crooked than when she had last seen it, and he had several bruises.

"Admiring your sister's handiwork?" the prince said bitterly.  "I didn't know she had it in her."

"You got what you deserved, for breaking her heart like that, naïve or not!" the Queen spat.  "By now, I have heard about everything that occurred during my absence, and while I was down here.  You should be grateful that you will not be spending the rest of your life in this cell, or be tried for treason and executed!  And don't think I didn't consider both."  Hans flinched at her tirade, and watched as she paced the length of the cell, trying to calm herself.

"What are you going to do?" Hans asked, shivering at the sudden chill in the room brought on by Elsa's mood.

"Tell me, Prince Hans," Elsa said, ignoring his question, "about the shackles.  Were they already there, as I suspect?"

"Indeed they were," Hans said.  "In fact, I doubt that particular cell had been used since they were made."  Studying her expression, he grinned smugly and said, "Aren't you wondering why it is there, and designed the way it is?"

"I already know why!" the Queen snapped.  "And I already suspected it had never been used.  I can understand why my father rebuilt it."  She sighed.  "There was always the very real possibility that I would lose all control, and would become a danger to everyone, isolated in my room or not."  Idly tossing the glowing ice ball from palm to palm, she added, "It turns out that even that special cell wasn't enough.

"But that doesn't matter now, for I _have_ learned how to control my powers.  It's something you probably wouldn't understand, Hans— _love._   Love will thaw."  Elsa saw a flash of anger cross his features at her harsh words, but he remained silent.  "Perhaps you will understand it someday, if you live long enough to atone for your selfish actions."

"You're sending me home, aren't you?" the prince asked, a hint of dread in his voice.

"That is correct," the Queen replied.  "Tomorrow afternoon, you will be departing with the French ambassador on his ship.  He has volunteered to deport you to the Southern Isles, where I will let your father and brothers judge you for your crimes.  And despite the severity of your actions, I hope that they show you some mercy."

Halfway to the door, she turned back, and fixed her icy gaze on him.  "As of tomorrow, you will be banished from Arendelle, so I sincerely hope that this is the last time we meet, Hans Westerguard," she said, her tone growing colder along with the room, "for if you are ever seen here again, I will not be so merciful."  She turned and left without another word, leaving a stunned Prince Hans behind.

She closed the cell door and motioning for the guard to lock it.  "The prisoner will remain here until tomorrow at noon," Elsa ordered, "at which time you are to escort him to the French ambassador's ship, and guard him on the journey to the Southern Isles.  I will have Captain Rolf arrange for your return passage."

"As you command, Your Majesty," the guards echoed.  With that, Elsa left the dungeon, and returned to the captain's office, her guard escorts in tow.

"Captain Rolf," she said upon entering the office, "I have instructed two of your men to accompany Prince Hans and the French ambassador on their journey to the Southern Isles.  I trust that you can deal with their passage back?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," the captain replied.

"As for the Duke of Weselton's men, they are to be escorted back home tomorrow afternoon, as well.  His two men are to be guarded and handed over to the proper authorities upon arrival in Weselton.  Can you arrange this?" the Queen asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Captain Rolf said.

"That will be all, then.  Good day, gentlemen," Elsa said.  Pausing in the doorway, she smiled and said, "I don't suppose you've seen Anna recently?"

The captain chuckled.  "With all of this paperwork, Your Majesty?  Besides, it's hard enough to keep track of the princess's whereabouts as it is."

"I believe that," Elsa said wryly.  "Thank you, Captain."  She turned to leave.

"A moment, Your Majesty," one of the guards in the office spoke up.  "If you're looking for your sister, I saw her earlier on her way to the stables, looking for your snowman."

"Thank you, Guardsman," Elsa replied, and left.  _Oddly enough,_ she thought, _that was the first place I was going to look..._

* * *

In ten minutes' time, Anna had managed to find Kristoff, retrieve a frying pan from the kitchens, and procure a short sword from the castle (she hadn't wanted to go to the barracks; she might get in trouble with the Guards).  Now she watched with amusement as Maximus and Eugene reenacted their impromptu duel.

"You should know," the Prince of Corona said, panting, "that this is _still_ the strangest thing I've ever done!"

With uncanny timing, Maximus stabbed with the sword in his mouth in such a way that it knocked the frying pan out of Eugene's hand, sending it skidding across the floor of the stable.

"That is just freaky," Eugene commented.  "Just like last time!"  Glancing at the pan on the other side of the room, he looked at the horse sheepishly and said, "How 'bout two out of three?"

Everyone laughed, even Maximus, as well as someone who hadn't been there a minute ago.  Anna looked over toward the stable door and saw her sister standing there, her hand doing a poor job of hiding her great mirth.

"I haven't seen you laugh like that in a long time," Anna said.

"Well, I thought he had just made that part of the story up," Elsa replied, grinning.  "I can see I was mistaken."

"Yup," Anna said.  "How did you know I was here?"

"Call it a hunch," Elsa said, smirking.  Anna wasn't quite sure what to make of that remark.

By now, the others had noticed the Queen's presence.  "Your Majes—" Kristoff and Eugene both began.

"Stop," the Queen interrupted.  Smiling, she said, "Now, what have I told you two?  We're all friends and family here, so there's no need for formalities—least of all in the stables, where no one can see us."

"Very well... Elsa," Eugene conceded.  Gesturing to the stallion (who had put his sword down by now), he said, "Meet our good friend Maximus.  As you just witnessed, he's a force—er, I mean, a _horse_ —to be reckoned with."  Everyone chuckled at his little joke, even Elsa, who walked up to the horse, holding her hand out.

"I had heard a rumor that the Coronan Royal Guards adopted frying pans as one of their official weapons," the Queen said, as she patted Maximus.  "Was that your idea?"

"Actually, it was Max's," Eugene replied.  "He served as Captain of the Guards for a short time."  Everyone but Rapunzel, Pascal, and Maximus gaped at him.  "It certainly put an dent in Corona's crime rate," Eugene said, "not to mention the apple supply."  Pulling an apple out of a bag nearby, he tossed it and Max snapped it whole out of the air.

"That reminds me," Kristoff said, picking up an empty sack that had obviously had carrots in it until now.  "If I stay here much longer, you might want to start stockpiling carrots..."

"That might be a good idea," Elsa said, laughing.

"Okay, it's my turn now, right?" Anna asked, retrieving the frying pan from across the room, then picking up the sword.  "Ew, horse slobber..."

"Anna, _no,_ " Elsa protested.  "You could hurt someone, or yourself!"

"You know, feisty pants," Kristoff said, "if you really wanted to learn, you could talk to the Captain of the Guards."

"Maybe I will," Anna said, "but not today.  We still haven't given you that tour of the castle."

"Oh, yeah," the mountain man said.  "I'd at least like to know one end of it from the other."

"I think that we can manage that," Elsa said.  Addressing the Coronans, she asked, "Would the two of you like to join us?"

"We'd be delighted," Rapunzel replied.

"Very well," the Queen said.  "Follow me, please..."

* * *

As Kristoff had not been in a castle before this week, he had no way of knowing that Arendelle's was actually fairly small as far as castles go.  To him, it was the biggest labyrinth of rooms and hallways that he'd ever seen.

The first floor, where the entry halls, throne room and ballroom, some sitting rooms, the kitchens, servants' quarters, and dining rooms were located, went by fairly quickly, as Kristoff and the others had seen most of it already.  For some strange reason, Anna was also trying to steer the tour _away_ from the ballroom.  _She's up to something,_ the mountain man thought.

The tour proceeded up the entry staircase to the second floor, where, among more sitting rooms, guest rooms, the larger of the two libraries, and Elsa's study, was the Council chamber.  "Best not to go in there unless you've been invited," Anna warned him.  "Those crusty old men would eat you alive..." Kristoff gulped.

"Stop scaring him, Anna," Elsa chided, when she saw Kristoff's face.  "After all, he may have reason to be invited in there, someday."  Anna opened her mouth to reply, but Elsa held a hand up to stop her.  "I'll tell you later," she said in a low, conspiratorial voice.

_Is everyone up to something around here?_ Kristoff wondered.  He followed the others as they ascended the spiral staircase to the third floor.  Oddly, there were doors along the staircase as well.  "Just closets," Elsa explained, when he asked about them.  On the third floor, they stopped briefly outside the smaller private library.  "We'll get that fixed, eventually," Anna said, gesturing to the window opposite the library doors, which had been temporarily sealed by a sheet of ice.

"That where you broke out?" Eugene asked.

"Yeah," Anna said, clearly not enjoying the memory.  "We didn't have much choice."

"Would you like to see the library?" Elsa said, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Books?" Kristoff said.  "I don't know..."

"There's all sorts of books in our libraries," Anna said cheerfully, opening the double doors and leading the others inside, "but in this room mostly histories and politics and such.  And Elsa has read them all."  Elsa glared at her sister.  "Oh, come on, Elsa, you don't expect _me_ to have read all of them, do you?  Histories are _boring._ "

"There's more than just books, Kristoff," Elsa said, ignoring her sister's comment.  "There's a piano, and also a chess set, if you enjoy that."  She gestured to the black-checked wooden board sitting on a table, the pieces set up for a new game.

"I've never played," the mountain man admitted, "but I'd be glad to give it a try sometime."

"Maybe later, then," the Queen said, sounding disappointed.  _Great,_ he thought, following her out of the library.  _Now I'll have to play a game with her just to make her feel better._

Elsa led them along the hall, past a door with a blue-and-violet pattern on it, without stopping.  Noting the pattern's resemblance to snowflakes, Kristoff said, "Is that...?"

"Yes, that's my room," Elsa replied coolly, "and it's not part of the tour."

"Of course not," Kristoff said.  "I meant no offense, Elsa."

"Well, I wouldn't mind showing off _my_ room..." Anna said, pointing at the door down the hall.  "Cousin, you interested?"

"Sure," Rapunzel said, dashing off after Anna to her room before Elsa could protest.

"I think my room is around here somewhere," Kristoff noted aloud, trying to make conversation.

"So is ours," Eugene replied. "This is the family wing, I guess."

"That's right," the Queen said, looking as nervous as Kristoff.

"Where do those doors go?" Kristoff asked into the uncomfortable silence, pointing to the double doors at the end of the hallway.

"Looks like a stateroom," Eugene observed.  Elsa said nothing, and Kristoff sensed that something was bothering her.

"Those rooms... they belonged to our parents," Anna said, appearing out of nowhere with Rapunzel.  Putting a comforting arm around her sister, she explained, "We... don't go in there much."

"I understand," Kristoff said, abashed that he'd brought it up.

"Come on!" Anna said, racing to the staircase.  "There's still the castle grounds, the gardens, the dungeon..."

"Anna, _no,_ " Elsa called after her.  "We are _not_ visiting the dungeon!"

"Race you down!" was all Anna said, making a practiced leap onto the banister, sliding down as if she did it every day.

"I thought she'd grown out of that..." Kristoff heard Elsa mutter, as he watched Rapunzel take off after Anna.

"Wait for me, cousin!" the brunette called.  The others watched as she hopped onto the banister and slid down after Anna.

"Like two peas in a pod," Eugene commented.

"You said it, pal," Kristoff replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** You probably thought it was going to be _ Anna _sword fighting, right? ;)  I had written this chapter a month or so before I got a chance to see the_ Frozen _story arc on_ Once Upon a Time, _but since then I've dropped in a few hints of Anna's desire to learn.  So that may yet happen._
> 
> _–The conversation where Elsa encourages Anna to learn and help her with state affairs is a little hint of what I hope will be part of future chapters._
> 
> _–I dropped in a few hints of Anna's sneaky plan for next chapter in the second revisions._
> 
> _–Writing the scene with Hans was harder than I thought it would be._
> 
> _–I nearly forgot to have the girls give Kristoff his tour of the castle; it didn't occur to me until the second revisions.  The castle layout, of course, I mostly made up.  Having Anna slide down the staircase was something I'd been wanting to do for a while._
> 
> _**Next chapter:** Dinner, a sneaky surprise, and a letter!_


	7. Snow and Letters

Over dinner that evening, Elsa and Anna summarized the minutes of their Council meeting to the others, and Eugene told them how he and Rapunzel went sightseeing in Arendelle.

"Arendelle is smaller than Corona," Rapunzel was saying, "but from what I've seen, it's no less lively when it comes to celebrations."

"Oh, come on," Eugene argued.  "Do you Arendellans have any events that can match our Lantern Festival?"

"I... I don't remember." Elsa admitted.  "My coronation was the only party I can recall being at in the last thirteen years."

"Well, maybe we can do something about that," Anna said, "We're already having that ice-skating thing tomorrow afternoon, but maybe a ball, or something for your birthday..."

"Anna, my birthday is over five and a half months away," Elsa pointed out.  _But Anna's was two weeks ago... and I didn't do_ anything _for her!_ she thought guiltily.

"All the more time for me to prepare, sister!" Anna replied, clearly excited about the prospect.  She frowned, then turned to Kristoff and asked, "Uh... where were we?"

"Arendelle," Kristoff whispered to her.

"Oh, right," the strawberry-blonde said.  Turning back to the Coronans, she said, "Did you have a good time looking around?"

"Yup!" Rapunzel replied.  "We saw and did pretty much everything."

"At least you didn't start dancing in the middle of the square," Eugene joked.

Rapunzel huffed.  "Yes, well, I bet they would have joined in if I had!"  Pascal, sitting on Rapunzel's shoulder, nodded in agreement.

Anna apparently decided it was time to change the subject, because she said, "You know, Elsa said to me earlier that she'd like to take a trip up to the North Mountain, to look for her crown.  And I suggested she invite the rest of us along, so she can give us a tour of the ice palace."

"I was thinking a good time would be the day after tomorrow," Elsa informed them.  "Would any of you like to go with me and Anna?"

"You know I'm in," Kristoff said, grinning.  "Ice is my life, and I'm not about to let feisty pants here go up in those mountains again without someone to keep an eye on her."  He ignored Anna's indignant glare, and added, "And where I go, Sven goes.  Olaf, too, I guess."

"We would love to go with you, Elsa," Rapunzel began sadly, "but... it's almost time for me and Eugene to head home."

"Aw, come on, Blondie," Eugene said.  "Another day or two couldn't hurt.  Besides, if it's danger you're worried about, you'll have me and Max to watch your back."

"Oh, all right," Rapunzel said.  Turning to Elsa, she asked, "Day after tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah," Elsa agreed.  "It'll take the better part of a day to get to the ice palace, and again coming back.  Though, I might be able to help us along on the way up the mountains."

"But how will we travel?" Kristoff asked.  "I don't have a sled, remember?"

"You just let me and Anna worry about that, Kristoff," Elsa replied, winking at Anna.

"So Elsa," Anna said, jumping a little when she saw Pascal hop onto her shoulder, "what did you do today, after our little snowman-building time?"

"You built snowmen without us?" Rapunzel said, pouting.  Anna shrugged her shoulders in apology, biting her lip, but Elsa saw her mouth the word _"later"_ to Rapunzel.  Elsa didn't know what that was about, but wasn't going to ask now.

"Well..." the blonde began, still a little ashamed for not telling her sister.  "I went to speak with the... Southern Isles prince," she settled on, deciding not to name him.

"Wait, what?" Anna yelped.  "By _yourself?_   In the _dungeon?_ "  Her face twitched, and she said, "Explains why you didn't want to go down there..." For some reason, she and Eugene then both burst into laughter.

"No, I had an escort, Anna," Elsa said, "and we didn't go to the dungeons because they're _not part of the tour._ "  Her sister only laughed harder; annoyed, she asked, "Why on _Earth_ are you laughing?"

"Well," Eugene said, "Blondie and I had been asking after you, to talk trade stuff, 'cause Anna said you'd like to.  She didn't know where you'd gone, and I sort of mentioned offhandedly that you couldn't _possibly_ be in the dungeon..."

"Yes, well, I was," the Queen said.  "I didn't stay there for long.  I told him how grateful he should be that I am being merciful and deporting him, and I asked him about the shackles."

"What did he say?" Anna wondered.

"He confirmed what I had suspected, that they were already there," Elsa replied, "and that the cell has been unused since they were made, I'm guessing not more than eight or ten years ago."

"Are you saying that Papa really _did_ have that cell rebuilt, just for you?" Anna said, looking horrified.

"It seems likely," Elsa said sadly.  "I doubt Hans would have been able to do a thing like that on such short notice.  But neither he nor Papa anticipated how strong my powers would become, or they might have reinforced the walls more than they had been."  She paused, then said, "I have sealed it off for the time being, until the outer wall can be repaired.  The broken shackles, however, I will have melted.  We all know now that concealing my power is _not_ the answer."

Turning to Rapunzel and Eugene, she opened her mouth to speak, but then noticed that Pascal was no longer on her sister's shoulder.  Looking around, she yelped in surprise when she discovered that the chameleon had moved to _her_ shoulder.  Forcing herself to calm down, she took a deep breath and said, "I guess... we can talk about opening trade, if you'd like."

"Pascal," Rapunzel said in a commanding tone, and the chameleon hopped down and skittered toward Rapunzel, crawling back onto her shoulder.  To Elsa, she said, "Better?"

"Much," Elsa said.  Calling a servant to bring pen, ink, and parchment, she said, "This shouldn't take too long."

The rest of the meal was spent setting up a trade proposal between Arendelle and Corona, to be reviewed by the King of Corona upon Rapunzel and Eugene's return home.  Anna suggested some things, but let Elsa do most of the talking.

_I'll teach you these things soon enough, Anna,_ the Queen thought.  She knew that setting up trade with Corona meant that she would probably have to visit it herself, both to observe their goods, and to sign the paperwork.  And travel to Corona meant sailing.  Elsa grimaced, and thought, _Well, that's something to worry about another day._

* * *

After dinner, Anna asked them to all follow her to the ballroom.  "C'mon, I've got something to show you!" she said excitedly.  When they got to the ballroom, she led them inside.  _Time for a little fun,_ she thought, then turned to Elsa and said, "Okay, sister, do the magic!"

"Wait, what?" Elsa said, looking confused.  After a moment, though, she must have realized this was why Anna brought them here, and said, "All right."  Forming a ball of ice in her hands, she threw it toward the ceiling, before letting it burst into a light snowfall.

"Hang on," Eugene said, shivering.  "Blondie and I didn't bring coats or anything.  And we're from a warmer climate than you..."

"Way ahead of you," Anna said, gesturing to the pile of winter wear she had stacked on the throne.  While she had been searching for Olaf earlier, she had found the coats, mittens, and scarves from the storage closet upstairs, and brought them down here—after making sure that Elsa had left the room.

"Have you been planning this all day?" Elsa asked, as Anna, Kristoff, Rapunzel, and Eugene shuffled into the winter clothing (Pascal, not liking the cold, chose to hide inside Rapunzel's coat).  Elsa waved her hands a bit, which caused the snowfall to increase slightly.

"Yup!" Anna said as innocently as possible.  _Almost enough snow now,_ she thought.  "Since before breakfast, actually."  _There, perfect!_

Before Elsa had time to work out what she meant by that remark, Anna crouched down, balled up some snow in her hands, leaped up, and threw the snowball at her unsuspecting sister, causing Elsa to scream in surprise when it hit her in the back of the head.

" _Anna!_ " Elsa shrieked, brushing the snow from her hair.  "You... you...!"

"I bet you thought I'd forgotten, huh?" Anna said, smirking.  "I got you good, sister!  That's for dropping a snowball on my head this morning!  And that other one last night!"

"This means war, Anna!" Elsa shouted.  "Who's with me?"

The others quickly moved to stand next to Anna, making it four against one.  "But... but I'm the _Queen!_ " Elsa protested.  "I demand to have someone else on my team."

"Sorry, Elsa," Anna said, "but I forgot to invite Olaf.  Besides, with your magic, it's only fair that I have more people on my team."

"Okay, but don't expect me to hold back!" Elsa told her, blanketing the room with a heavy snowfall with a wave of her hand, sending Anna and the others diving for cover.

* * *

Conjuring a crude snow fort with her magic, Elsa quickly went to work making snowballs—by hand, to be more fair.  _She just had to get even,_ Elsa thought.  _She doesn't realize what she's getting into.  I am the queen of ice and snow!_   And even though Anna hadn't invited Olaf, Elsa had a feeling he was nearby.  She couldn't say _how_ she knew, exactly, but there wasn't time to dwell on it now.

While she already had a fort, Anna and the others had to scramble to build a fort of their own before Elsa could finish forming ammunition.  _Which won't be long now,_ Elsa thought.  _They don't stand a chance!_

Eventually, she finished with her task, and peered over the top of her fort.  Her opponents had managed to build a decent-sized fort, and Eugene and Kristoff had apparently been tasked with piling up ammunition for the girls.  Anna and Rapunzel, in turn, attempted to hit Elsa.  Elsa was fast, though, and was able to dodge most of their attempts.  Returning fire, the Queen nailed her sister on her first try.

"Ha!" Elsa cried.  "Got you back, sister!"  She quickly ducked as Anna sent a return throw that missed her by inches.

This continued for some time, and eventually the fighters started to tire.  They seemed evenly matched, mostly because Anna and Rapunzel had better aim than Elsa gave them credit for, and were getting better at predicting her movements.  Unless one side or the other tried something devious, the fight would probably end in a stalemate.

As Elsa expected, Olaf did eventually show up, and immediately joined Elsa's side, not knowing what the fight was about.  The little snowman didn't have much of an arm (his throws went no more than a dozen feet from their fort which, while exceptional for such a little snowman, was still well short of their opponents), so it wasn't much of an improvement for her side.  That meant Elsa was back to thinking of something clever to try.

_Well,_ Elsa thought, _they didn't say I couldn't use my magic, though I haven't much so far.  Hmm..._ A thought came to her, and she formed a small ball of ice in her hand.  It was like the one she made the snowfall with: about the same size, only denser and intended for a smaller area.  _I hope this works,_ she thought.

She flung the ice ball in a high arc—not at her opponents, but over them.  When it passed over their heads, Elsa snapped her fingers, making the ball explode into a heavy snowfall on top of them!  Unsurprisingly, the first word she heard was Anna's squeal of "COLD!!"

Her sister managed to dig herself out, and sent a glare at Elsa.  "That was very clever, sister," Anna said, "but I'm clever, too!"  Turning to her comrades, who by now had dug themselves out as well, she said, "Okay, everyone gets a turn now!  Fire at will!"

Now it really was four against one—the guys had joined the girls, and a hail of snowballs came flying Elsa's way, faster than she could easily dodge.  She ducked down behind the wall of her fort, and thought of how she could get out of this, short of overwhelming her opponents with her magic.

_I still have Olaf,_ she thought.  _But what good can he do?  That exploding ice ball was the best idea I've had, and they'll be expecting it.  Unless... they_ aren't.  Waving Olaf over, Elsa whispered, "I've got a job for you, Olaf."

"Oh, boy!" Olaf exclaimed, causing Elsa to shush him.  "What can I do?" he asked more quietly.

The Queen made another dense ball of ice, but this time rolled it in the snow, so it looked like an ordinary snowball.  _Think you're clever, sister?  I'm the_ queen _of clever!_

Elsa handed the fake snowball to Olaf, and whispered, "Listen.  I'm going to distract them, and while I'm doing that, you take this snowball over there, and give it to them.  Tell them it's special."

"Uh, okay, but I don't see how..." Elsa put a finger to her lips, shushing him.  "Okay, got it!  Secret plan!"

"Hey, _Anna!_ " Elsa yelled, leaping up and throwing snowball after snowball at her sister.  These magic snowballs split into two or three smaller balls in mid-flight, managing to intercept some of the return fire as well as hit her opponents.  She had to keep this up for a bit to give Olaf, who was waddling over toward them, time to deliver his "gift".

When he got there, Elsa ceased her assault and ducked down again.  She listened in as Anna said, "What have we here?  Are you here to surrender, Olaf, or join us?"

"Uhh..." Olaf faltered, going silent for a moment.  Finally he said, "The second one!"  Elsa facepalmed.  _That wasn't part of the plan, Olaf!  Well, it's not like he can do them much good._   She got on her knees and peeked over the top of the fort to watch.

"What's this?" Anna asked Olaf.

"Oh, this?  It's a gift from Elsa.  It's special!" Olaf replied cheerfully, handing it to her.

"Hey, this is pretty heavy," Anna complained, hefting the ball in her hand.

"That's because it's special," Olaf repeated.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Anna said.  Handing the ball to Kristoff, she asked him, "How far do you think you can throw this?"

Kristoff weighed the ball in his hand, and said, "All the way to Elsa... why?"

"Do it... quick!" Anna cried.  But they were too late; Elsa snapped her fingers, making the hidden ice ball explode into another large pile of snow, burying the group.  "AH!!  _Elsa!_ "  Elsa laughed.

"You've made a mistake, sister!" Anna shouted, as soon as she dug herself out.  "Now we have your snowman pal as a hostage!"

"What are you going to do, Anna?" Elsa said, smirking.  "Throw him?"

"Yeah, right," Anna said.  Turning to her teammates, she asked them, "Any of you have a catapult?"

"Afraid not, Ginger," Eugene replied.  "However, I _do_ have"—he pulled out the frying pan she had procured earlier—"this frying pan."

"Great!" Anna said.  "But how does that help?"

"Let me try something," Eugene said.  Picking up a snowball, he packed it as much as he could, tossed it in the air, and hit it with the frying pan.  It promptly fell apart on impact with the pan, making Elsa giggle.  "Well, it was worth a shot."

"Hang on," Anna said.  "You may be on to something.  Hold the pan right side up."  Eugene did as instructed, and Elsa watched as her sister dropped a handful of snowballs in the bowl of the pan.  "How much do you think we can fling at her this way?"

"I don't know, but let's give these a shot, first," the former thief replied.  He held the frying pan back at a slight angle, careful not to let any of the snowballs fall out, and swung with all his might.  The snowballs flew faster than Elsa expected from being thrown in such a manner, and her moment's surprise cost her; the snowballs hit her and knocked her backward.

"Oof," she grunted on impact with the snow-covered floor.  Picking herself up, she waved her arms, saying, "Okay, I surrender!  You got me."

"Really?" Anna said in disbelief.  "After all that, you're just going to give up?"

"I'm out of ideas," Elsa said, suddenly feeling tired.  "The only other option would be for me to overpower you by using more magic."  Covering a yawn, she added, "I'm not sure I could, anyway.  I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired."

"Yeah, we should probably get some rest," Eugene said.  "Rapunzel's going to take me into town again tomorrow before we come back for that thing in the afternoon."

"Me too," Kristoff said, yawning.  "I'm going to go check on Sven first, though."

"Oh!" Olaf piped up, and trotted after him.  "I'll go with you!"

"Well, good night then, everyone," Elsa said, and, with a wave of her hands, eliminated the snow from the ballroom.  She left, and made her way through the halls to her room, with Anna following behind her.

* * *

When they got to Elsa's room, Anna followed her inside silently.  Elsa finally noticed she was there, and turned to face her, a worried look on her face.  "Is everything all right, Anna?" she asked.

"Yeah," the strawberry-blonde said, fiddling idly with one braid.  "I was just thinking about what I promised Kristoff, about getting him a new sled."

"Well, Anna," Elsa replied, "I've been thinking, too.  We ought to give him a suitable reward, for helping you during the freeze."  Leading Anna over to her desk, she handed her sister the piece of folded parchment sitting there.

Anna unfolded the paper carefully, and read:

> _By decree of Queen Elsa of Arendelle, the position of **Royal Ice Master and Deliverer** is hereby established.  By order of the Queen, the duties and privileges of Royal Ice Master and Deliverer are hereby awarded to **Mr. Kristoff Bjorgman** for his generous assistance to the Royal Family during the Great Freeze._

The document went on to briefly describe the Royal Ice Master's duties, obligations, and pay.  "Wow, Elsa... I'm impressed," Anna said finally.  "You really thought this out."

"It's the least I could do, after all he did to help you," Elsa said, settling in the chair at the desk.  "As for the sled, in the morning I will give you enough money to buy one, and any other equipment that is needed to get him back in business."

"Can I buy him a new lute?" Anna asked.

"Of course you can, Anna," Elsa replied, smiling.  "I know you care for him, Anna, whether you're ready to admit it or not."

"I know," Anna said, gloomily.  "To be honest, I'm kind of nervous.  What if things d-don't work out?  What if this relationship turns out like... like..."  Elsa was out of her seat and grasping her by the shoulders before she could finish the thought.

"Anna, please," the blonde pleaded.  "Don't even think it!  Not everyone is as cold-hearted as _that_ man is.  Even in the short time I've known Kristoff, I can tell that he is as warm and kind as me and you."  Elsa led Anna over to the bed and they both sat on the edge, Elsa giving her hand a squeeze.  "You don't have to rush into this.  We'll help him find a place of his own, and so long as the gates remain open, you can see him as often as you like.  But please, Anna, take things slow, okay?"

"Okay," Anna said, feeling a little better.

"By the way, Anna," Elsa said, smirking, "when I visited the prisoner earlier today, I got a look at his face."  She smashed her nose against her face with a finger, mimicking Hans' new complexion.  "You did good, sister."

Anna grinned widely, her good spirits returning.  "Never mess with the Princess of Arendelle, or face the wrath of her mighty right hook!"  Elsa laughed.

Anna embraced her sister in a hug.  "Good night, Elsa," she said, then stood.  "I'll see you in the morning."  After a moment, she added, "I love you."

"I love you too, Anna.  Pleasant dreams," she heard her sister say as she left the room.

* * *

Elsa watched her sister leave, and brushed a tear from her eye.  She was grateful to have Anna back in her life, and wished the best for her prospective relationship with Kristoff.  _I hope my other gifts for Kristoff and Sven will please them,_ she thought.

Turning back to her desk, she glanced over the other papers on it.  There was the formal declaration of the trade embargo with Weselton, to be given to the men accompanying the Duke tomorrow.  Her gaze fell on the letter she had recently finished, addressed to the King of the Southern Isles, concerning his youngest son:

> _5 July 1845_
> 
> _HM King Anders of the Southern Isles,_
> 
> _I write this letter regarding your youngest son, Prince Hans, and his treasonous actions in Arendelle following my coronation four days ago.  As I am returning him to you in chains, in the custody of a foreign dignitary, it is only proper that I tell you everything._
> 
> _If the rumors have not reached you already, you should know that I was born with magical powers of ice and snow.  Due to an unfortunate accident with my sister when we were children, the castle gates were closed and the royal family was isolated from the public for thirteen years._
> 
> _As far as I have been able to determine, Prince Hans arrived here in Arendelle for the purpose of wooing either myself or Princess Anna, with the intent to marry and usurp the throne by any means, including murder.  Anna, having been isolated for so long and desperate for attention, was understandably drawn to him, and allowed him to propose to her that same day._
> 
> _I denied her my blessing, prompting a heated argument that caused me to lose control and reveal my powers to the public.  I fled Arendelle to the mountains, accidentally plunging the kingdom into winter, and stayed there for two days.  My sister found me and tried to convince me to return, but I refused.  Prince Hans, arriving the next morning with a search party looking for Anna, saved my life from two Weselton thugs intent on killing me.  I was knocked unconscious, however, and taken prisoner back to Arendelle._
> 
> _I was locked up in the dungeon, and Prince Hans asked me to end the winter, but I did not know how at that time.  I begged him to let me go, citing my being a danger to Arendelle, but he refused.  Princess Anna returned shortly after, our confrontation in the mountains having accidentally injured her with my powers, and  she sought Hans' comfort to heal her slowly freezing heart._
> 
> _Hans then revealed to her his plans: to leave her to freeze to death, kill me, and be hailed a hero and crowned King for saving Arendelle from the winter.  He proceeded to tell the council that I had killed her, claimed that they married before she died, and sentenced me to death.  I only just escaped captivity as a fierce blizzard began, but Hans caught up to me on the frozen fjord._
> 
> _He told me that my sister was dead, and I collapsed on the ice in grief, waiting for the killing blow from his sword.  But Anna was still alive, and by a miracle was able to escape confinement and get out to the fjord in time to reach me.  Her body froze solid just as Hans swung his sword down, causing the sword to shatter and throw him back.  Anna's act of love and self-sacrifice broke the icy curse on her, revealing to me the means to control my powers, with love, and thaw the winter.  Prince Hans, after being unceremoniously deposited in the newly-thawed fjord by Princess Anna, was locked in the dungeon._
> 
> _That was yesterday afternoon.  While I have enough evidence to imprison Prince Hans for the rest of his life, or try him for treason and execute him, I have chosen to be merciful and return him to you for his punishment.  Hans Westerguard is, however, by my order banished from Arendelle for life, and will face serious consequences if he should ever return._
> 
> _I do not hold you, King Anders, or the Southern Isles to blame for Hans's actions.  I also wish to assure you that my powers pose no threat to you or your country, as they are now fully in my control, and I abhor the very notion of using them for anything other than peaceful purposes.  I hope that we can both put this affair behind us, and that we can continue to trade without incident.  Thank you for your understanding._
> 
> _Sincerely,_
> 
> _HM Queen Elsa of Arendelle_

She hoped it would be enough to convince the King of Hans' wrongdoings, and she very much hoped that showing Hans mercy was the wisest choice.  Despite her assurances of "serious consequences", Elsa was not a killer.  She had come too close to doing just that the other night, for very different reasons, and did not wish to tread that slippery slope of rage again.

Now that the ink was dry, Elsa carefully folded the parchment, dribbled some heated green wax over it, and pressed her signet ring, bearing the Arendelle crocus, into it.  She would entrust the letter to the French ambassador, to be delivered with the prisoner on their arrival at the Southern Isles.  Writing " _HM King Anders of the Southern Isles_ " on the outside, she set it aside and proceeded to sign and stamp, with the Royal Seal of Arendelle, the Weselton trade embargo document, which she planned to give to Kai in the morning.

Now quite tired, Elsa went to the wardrobe and changed into a nightgown, then all but dropped into bed.  She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, thinking of Anna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** This chapter was originally where I was going to put the end-of-movie scenes, but I quickly realized, when I came up with the snowball fight, that it would be much too long if I did.  So I broke it up._
> 
> _–According to screenwriter/co-director Jennifer Lee, Elsa was born on the winter solstice (21 Dec) and Anna on the summer solstice (21 Jun).  Anna thus turned 18 a mere two weeks prior to the coronation, while Elsa turned 21 over_ six months _prior.  (The only logical explanation for this I can think of is that they were waiting for optimal weather for the festivities.)  Anna's next birthday will be depicted in the upcoming short film from Disney,_ Frozen Fever.
> 
> _–The snowball fight was a sort of spur-of-the-moment thing, though I admit I may have gotten a_ little _carried away.  It was really an exercise in creativity; I wanted to see what I could come up with as far as snowball fight tactics go.  Alas, the "snow bomb" and splitting snowballs were the best I could come up with._
> 
> _–I decided to play with the idea of Elsa being able to "feel" her living creations—to know if they're nearby, for example.  I may have her make use of this ability later on._
> 
> _–I actually did a bit of research to find out what system of measurement was in use in 1840s Norway.  (Wikipedia: Norwegian units of measurement.)  Thus, my use of the words 'feet' and 'inches' are appropriate, more or less._
> 
> _–_ Can _a firmly-packed snowball withstand being hit with a frying pan?  That's what I get for living in a non-snowing climate—I have no idea!  For now, though, I will assume the answer is 'no'._
> 
> _–The letter was originally going to be at the beginning of what is now chapter 8, but it fit here better.  And hey, look, I named another character.  Go me!_
> 
> _**Next chapter:** to the movie's end!_


	8. Out on the Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Updates between chapters will be slightly longer now, as the next 4 chapters have never been revised.  Stay tuned to this bug-channel for updates!

Even when Elsa did not wake at the usual hour (which wasn't often), normally Kai, or possibly Gerda, would come to wake her.  But what woke her up today was something she hadn't heard in nearly thirteen years.

"Elsa!  Psst, Elsa!" came a whisper next to her bed.  Elsa started awake, and very nearly dropped a snow drift on the intruder.

Elsa's brain finally recognized the owner of the voice, and she rolled her eyes, noting the sunlight coming in the window.  _At least it isn't the middle of the night this time,_ she thought.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" the voice of her sister insisted, nudging her forcefully.

The blonde groaned softly, and felt very much like dropping that snow drift anyway, but decided that she would play along this time.  "Anna, go back to sleep," she mumbled.

"I just _can't!_ " Anna said, flailing on top of Elsa dramatically, causing her to grunt from the extra weight.  "The sun's up, and there's stuff to do, and I want to get it done before your gathering this afternoon."

Elsa blinked, looking up at her sister in utter astonishment.  "Pinch me, I must be dreaming."

"What?" the strawberry-blonde said, confused.  She turned on her side, so that she could face Elsa (more or less), though Elsa wished she hadn't.  Her sister was heavier than she realized!

"For a moment," Elsa observed, "I could swear you sounded _responsible,_ Anna.  And you didn't even ask if I wanted to build—"

"Not _yet,_ " Anna said, grinning.  "But there'll always be time for that later, when you're not busy."  Putting on a serious face again—albeit one with a hint of mischief—she said, "For now, though, I need three things."

Elsa tried to sit up, but was finding it rather difficult.  "And what might those be?" she grunted, struggling to dislodge her sister.

"First," Anna said, ticking off one finger at a time, "I need breakfast.  Second, I need shopping money.  And third..."  She ticked off a third finger, and that mischievous grin overtook her serious face, "I need a diversion."

Elsa sighed.  "What time is it?"

"Half past seven," her sister replied.  Elsa gaped at her, and reached up to pinch herself.  Anna laughed.  "Like I said, there's stuff to do.  Kai about had a heart attack when he saw me up before ten..."

"Speaking of Kai," Elsa said, "where is he?  Don't tell me you actually landed him in the infirmary..."  She again tried to move Anna, but couldn't get her to budge.

"No, no!" Anna said, giggling.  "He said he was coming to wake you for the day, so I, uh, volunteered to do it."

"Oh, you big goof!" Elsa said, and with a great heave, finally managed to shove her sister off the bed.  "Oof!" came her sister's voice from the floor.

"You're not as little as when you were five, Anna," Elsa teased.  "I have no idea how you eat all that chocolate and manage to stay looking that good..."

"Just lucky, I guess," Anna said, picking herself up off the floor.  "Come on, get up!  That breakfast isn't going to eat itself."

Elsa sat up, and finally got a good look at her sister.  Stifling a laugh with her hand, she said, "Tell me, Anna: are you sure it was your early rising that startled Kai, or was it your frightful bedhead?"

"Oh... oops!  Guess I forgot that part..." Anna said sheepishly.  She hadn't even changed out of her nightgown!  "I'll go get ready, then.  Bye!"  And with that, she shot out the door, leaving Elsa to just chuckle at her sister's antics.

* * *

At breakfast, Anna explained her plan.

"So, I need to get Kristoff a new sled, and ice cutting equipment, and a new lute, right?" she said, smoothing her green skirts absently.  "And I want to set them out and stick a bow on them or something, and leave Sven to watch everything while I fetch Kristoff.  But I need him distracted."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Elsa wondered, as Eugene and Rapunzel entered the dining room.

"What seems to be the problem, ladies?" Eugene asked.  Anna rolled her eyes, and repeated her plan.  "We might be able to help with that," he said, taking a seat at the table.  "Blondie is taking me into town again, remember.  We could drag Kristoff along, and do our best to keep him away from the sled shop."

"That sounds great!" Anna exclaimed.  She quickly explained when she planned to visit the shops, and when she wanted to fetch Kristoff.  Eugene nodded, and told her where the shops she didn't know the location of were; she hadn't had much time to familiarize herself with the town, after all, since leaving the castle.  "Just make sure that he leaves Sven here," she finished.  "Now we just need Kristoff..."

It wasn't long before the mountain man came down for breakfast, having been roused by Kai, at Anna's request.

"Good morning, Kristoff!" Anna said cheerfully.  "Rapunzel and Eugene just offered to take you into town with them today."

"Oh," Kristoff said.  "That sounds fun... I guess."

"Cheer up, Kristoff," Elsa said.  "Maybe Eugene can help you find some new clothes."

Kristoff groaned at the prospect of clothes shopping, making Anna giggle, but said, "Okay."

Studying Elsa for a moment, Rapunzel said, "Elsa, is that dress made of _ice?_ "

Elsa grinned.  She had elected to make an ice dress today, to wear at the gathering that afternoon, despite Anna's concerns about it being distracting.  "It is, indeed."

"How exactly does that work?" Kristoff wanted to know, and Eugene said, "Yeah, how?"

"I'm not really sure," Elsa admitted.  "The first time I did it, I was wearing my coronation dress, and I just... willed the ice to replace the threads of fabric, or something.  It also changed the cut of the dress.  This one," she said, gesturing to the dress she was wearing now, "is just like the first, except I made it from scratch.  I can probably change it to whatever style I want, with just a thought and a little magic."

"It's gorgeous, Elsa," Rapunzel said, "but isn't it, you know, _cold?_ "

"That's never really bothered me," Elsa replied.  "I suppose it would be rather cold, to someone else."

"Fascinating," Kristoff said, awed.

"Elsa," Anna said, a hint of warning in her tone, "what did we discuss before dinner the other night?"  She shot a quick look at Kristoff, hoping her sister got the point.

The blonde blushed a little, and said, "Oh, right."  She straightened in her chair.  "Sorry, Anna."

"Am I missing something?" Eugene wondered.

"No, it's nothing," Anna said quickly.  "Just girl talk."  Elsa and Rapunzel nodded in agreement, the latter obviously having caught on.

Breakfast was eaten in mostly silence, with some quiet conversation between Rapunzel, Eugene, and Kristoff, Rapunzel explaining to Kristoff where she wanted to take him and Eugene.

When everyone was finished eating, Elsa stood, and motioned for Anna to follow her, saying, "If you'll excuse us, I need to discuss some things with Anna before this afternoon's gathering."

"Okay!" Rapunzel said.  "See you later!"

* * *

Elsa led Anna to her study, which of course used to be their father's study.  Inside was a large desk, liberally covered with paperwork, and a tall-backed chair in front of it.  Nearby, a large portrait of Agdar's coronation hung on the wall over a small table, where Elsa had set some things for Anna's outing. The fireplace had been lit, at her request; Elsa seldom needed to use it, but she made an exception for Anna—especially at this time of day, when there was still a chill in the castle.

"That's a lot of paperwork," Anna commented, glancing at the desk.

"It's what I have to look forward to every day," Elsa said, grimacing.  "Before my coronation, the Council took care of much of this, but it's my responsibility now."

Picking up the obvious letter on the desk, Anna said, "I hope you scolded the guy."

" _Anna,_ " the Queen said, "it isn't the King's fault that he has a scoundrel for a thirteenth son.  I explained to him what happened, and why I am sending the Prince back to him.  I don't want to damage relations with the Southern Isles any further than they already have been.

"Anyway, we're getting off-track."  She took the letter from Anna and set it aside, then picked up the coin pouch sitting on the table.  "Here," she said, handing the modest-sized pouch to her sister.

Anna looked inside the pouch, and gaped at the sheer quantity of coins within, a good number of which were silver.  "Uh, isn't this kind of a lot, Elsa?" she said, pulling out a handful of skillings, staring at them in disbelief, before dropping them back in.

"It is," Elsa replied.  "Most of it is for what you'll be purchasing today, but the rest is for you to spend as you will.  Consider it a late birthday gift."

"Oh, Elsa," Anna said, smiling, "you don't need to do that.  Having you back is gift enough for me any day."

Elsa smiled back warmly, and said, "I promise to celebrate your birthday properly next year, though."  She grinned, and added, "You know, you _could_ bring something back to share..." She licked her lips.

"Ooh... right!" Anna said, obviously getting the hint.  Gesturing to the other items on the table, she said, "What are these?"  The items in question were two silver medals, one a bit larger than the other, each with a snowflake embossed on the front.  The smaller of the two sat on top of a folded document.

"Those are my gifts for Kristoff and Sven," Elsa explained.  "They go with his new title of Royal Ice Master and Deliverer."

"Ohhh," Anna said, picking up the larger of the medals.  "So this one is for Sven?"

"Right," Elsa replied.  "You can give it to him before you fetch Kristoff.  The other one, and the document that you saw last night"—she indicated the folded paper—"I will give to Kristoff in person, after the gathering this afternoon."  She smiled, and strode toward the study doors.  "Feel free to tell him about it, though."

"Okay!" Anna said.  "He probably won't believe me, though."  Putting the coin pouch and the large medal in her bag, she followed Elsa out of the study.

_If he doesn't believe it,_ the Queen thought, as she and Anna headed through the castle halls, _there are others who might not, either.  I may just have to knight him._   She had been considering it, especially since it would make his newly-invented title less conspicuous.  Anna was skipping out the front doors behind Elsa, and was half-dancing by the time they reached the stables.

When they entered, Sven was waiting for them, looking a bit miffed at being left behind while Kristoff went out.  Anna pulled a carrot from her bag and held it out, and Sven snapped it out of the air, as if he was starving.

"Whoa, Sven!" Anna yelped.  "I need that hand!"  Elsa laughed, and turned her sister to face her.

"A couple of things, Anna, before you go," Elsa said, seriously.  "Remember to get the things for Kristoff first, _before_ you go shopping for sweets, okay?"  Anna nodded.  "Also, if Kristoff tries to refuse your gift, tell him that there are no returns or exchanges, Queen's orders."

Anna giggled.  "Can do, sister!" the strawberry-blonde said, and motioned for Sven to follow her.  "Come on, Sven!"  The reindeer trotted after her, eager for the fresh air.

"Good luck, Anna!" Elsa called after Anna.

After Anna had gone out the gates, Elsa headed back to the study to try and put a dent in the paperwork covering the desk.  Her sister was correct; there was a lot to do, and if she didn't do a good portion of it before they went on their trip into the mountains, it would take a week to finish.

Calling Kai in, she handed him the letter and scroll she had finished the night before.  "Please give this letter to the French ambassador," Elsa instructed, "and tell him he is to deliver it to the King of the Southern Isles, in person, when he arrives there."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Kai said.

"The scroll is the formal declaration of embargo with Weselton.  You may read it to him before he departs, and leave the document with the guards accompanying him.  And Kai..." The Queen paused, letting a smirk cross her features.  "You have my permission to pronounce it however you like."  There was no need to tell him what _it_ was.

"Gladly, Your Majesty," Kai said, smiling.  "Will that be all?"

"Yes, thank you, Kai." Elsa replied.  Kai bowed, and left the study.  The Queen sat down at the desk, and began going through the massive quantity of papers.

After what felt like hours of going through reports, reading and replying to marriage proposals (all politely declined; she simply wasn't ready to deal with suitors yet), and scanning over various trade proposals (to be discussed at the next Council meeting), Elsa desperately needed some fresh air.  Looking at the clock, she noticed that it was past noon already.  _I've been sitting here for almost four hours.  Where did the time go?_

She walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the courtyard, and saw a few people already gathered.  At two o'clock, she would go out there and talk to them.  Feeling nervous about appearing in front of so many people, now that her secret was exposed, Elsa decided that she need to take her mind off the gathering for a bit.  She wandered the castle, every so often mumbling a greeting to the castle staff she passed, but she was mostly lost in her thoughts, worried about how the people would react.

Eventually, the Queen's wandering took her to one of the perimeter towers.  Climbing the spiral stairs, she emerged out on the perimeter wall, which encircled the castle grounds, before stretching laterally across the fjord towards the mainland.  She walked to a place along the wall where she could see Arendelle Town, and as she stood observing it, an idea came to her.  Feeling mischievous, Elsa waved one of the guards on duty over to her.  "Do you have a spyglass I could borrow, Guardsman?" she asked.

The guard nodded, handing her a small spyglass. "Here you are, Your Majesty."  Pausing, the guard asked, "If I may ask, what are you looking for, my Queen?"

"Oh, that's easy," Elsa replied, smirking.  "I'm going to spy on my sister."

"Very well, Your Majesty," the guard said, grinning, before resuming his post.

Putting the glass to her eye, Elsa looked out at the town.  Searching for a bit, she finally spotted a shiny new sled sitting next to a flower stand, a new lute sitting on the seat and Sven with his medal waiting patiently nearby.  Noticing a blur of green dress dragging a tall blond-haired man blindfolded behind her, Elsa flinched as Anna ran Kristoff right into a lamp pole.

_If she keeps that up, she's going to land_ him _in the infirmary,_ Elsa thought.  She watched as Anna presented the sled to Kristoff, Sven strutting up to it and running a hoof over it dramatically.  She saw Kristoff suddenly sweep Anna off her feet and swing her around in the air, before setting her down again.  An awkward moment passed, and Anna pecked him on the cheek.  Kristoff then bent down and kissed her full on the lips, and Anna returned it, causing Elsa to blush and put the glass down.

_My little sister is growing up,_ she thought fondly, brushing a tear from her eye.  Handing the spyglass back to the guard, she thanked him and returned through the castle to her study, her spirits lifted somewhat.  She decided that she could get a little more paperwork done before two o'clock.

* * *

By two o'clock, the majority of the townsfolk had assembled in the courtyard, and were waiting for the Queen to appear.  Anna stood with Kristoff and Sven near the gates, Anna positively glowing with happiness.

_What a great day,_ she thought.  _The sun is shining, my sister is out of her room, I've got a new supply of chocolate, and the guy I like actually just_ kissed _me!_   Remembering her sister's advice, she mentally promised herself that she wouldn't let them go any further than kissing, not for a long while.  _Elsa's right, I'm starting to sound_ responsible, _even in my head!_

Finally, Kai emerged from the castle, and announced, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle!"

Elsa glided out the castle doors, to general applause.  Anna could tell that some of the people were still a bit unsure about their Queen.  _Well,_ she thought, _that's what this speech will be for._   She hoped it would be enough.  Just from looking at her sister, standing with near-perfect poise on the castle steps, Anna could tell that she was a bit unsure herself, nervously wringing her hands.  Anna considered walking over to join her, but decided against it.  _Elsa needs this._

"People of Arendelle," the Queen began finally.  "I thank you all for gathering here today.  Given the recent circumstances, I feel that I need to let you know a few things.

"First, I am sure that by now, most of you are aware of my powers, or at least the unnatural winter they started five nights ago.  That winter was caused by my lack of understanding in how to control them, something I had not had my entire life, until just two days ago.  The key is, and always will be, that _love will thaw;_ I have my sister, Princess Anna, to thank for helping me discover it, though she put herself at great risk to help me."  Anna impulsively waved to the crowd; many people waved back, and she blushed.  She clasped her hands in front of her, not wanting to distract from her sister's speech again.

Elsa continued, "That having been said, I am now in control of my powers, and there will be no more unnatural winters, for while I draw breath I will always love Arendelle's people, and thus remain in control.  I know that some of you must be nervous or scared of me; you have nothing to fear, for I always have the well-being of the people in mind.  Even my self-imposed exile to the mountains that night was intended to protect the people, and had I not been in such haste to flee far from Arendelle, I might not have started a winter at all, or seen sooner what I had caused.

"So please, do not fear me for my powers.  As I have told my Council, I will _not_ use them as a weapon of war, nor will I _ever_ use them to harm another being, except in self-defense."  Placing a hand over her heart, Elsa said solemnly, "As Queen of Arendelle, I vow to only use my gifts for the maintaining of peace, and for the enjoyment of others.  I will uphold the laws of Arendelle, and will defend its people to the best of my ability, while my reign lasts."

This brought a large round of applause from the assembled people.  Anna was truly impressed with her sister's speech.  _Did Elsa rehearse all that?_ she wondered, as the Queen stepped down and walked into the courtyard.

Stopping in the center of the courtyard, between the two large fountains, Elsa continued, "It is primarily for enjoyment that I have brought you here this afternoon.  When I was eight years old, I turned the castle ballroom into a winter wonderland for me and my sister.  Today, I am going to transform this courtyard into something everyone can enjoy: an ice-skating rink.  If you do not have skates and want some, I will provide them."  Glancing around at the eager townspeople, she smiled, and said loudly, "Are you ready?"  The people cheered in affirmation.

Anna watched as Elsa stamped her foot down onto the surface of the courtyard, within seconds covering it in a layer of ice thick enough to skate on.  The ice spread in a controlled fashion up the sides of the castle walls surrounding the courtyard, forming beautiful patterns.  The Queen waved one hand, then the other, freezing the water in the fountains beside her in pleasing shapes, not the horrific ones like on coronation night.  With a final gesture, she tossed a ball of ice high into the air, letting it burst into a light snowfall.

Many people had indeed brought skates, and began skating around the frozen courtyard right away; most, though, preferred to stand and watch.  Anna, hopeful that she could be one of the latter, wobbled and slid her way over to her sister.

"Woah..." Anna said, trying to keep her balance.  Reaching out, Elsa caught and steadied her.  Anna smiled and said, "I like the open gates."

"We are never closing them again," Elsa promised, returning the smile.  She gestured at Anna's boots, causing blades made of ice to appear on the bottom of each.  Anna gasped in surprise.

"Oh, Elsa, they're beautiful, but you know I don't skate—" Anna began.

"Come on, you can do it!" Elsa insisted, sliding away, dragging Anna along with her, the strawberry-blonde saying "Woah, woah!" all the way.

"Look out, reindeer coming through!" came Kristoff's voice from nearby.  Anna glanced over and saw that he was sliding along the ice by hanging onto Sven's tail.

Anna still wasn't so sure she could do this, especially after yesterday's practice, but she decided to make the best of it.  "I've got it, I've got it... I don't got it, I don't got it..." she said, trying and failing to keep her balance.

"Hey, guys!" Olaf said, bumping into Anna from behind, in the process helping her to regain her balance.

"That's it, Olaf," Elsa praised the little snowman.

"Gliiiiide and pivot, and gliiiiide and pivot, and gliiiiide and pivot..." Olaf said, trying to help coach Anna.

_Is that supposed to help me?_ Anna thought.  _I can barely stay standing up..._   But she managed to stay on her feet for most of the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** Finally, we've reached the end of the movie, 8 chapters and over 31K words later... sorry it took so long. :P  We'll be in uncharted territory from here on out._
> 
> _–Anna sneaking into Elsa's room was another of those spontaneous ideas I came up with._
> 
> _–Tried to explain Elsa's ice dress-making ability.  There's really only two possibilities I can come up with: (a) changing the fabric itself to ice, or (b) covering the existing fabric, while still making changes to cut and style.  Of the two, (a) seems most likely._
> 
> _–Again from my research on Norwegian units: between 1816 and the adoption of the decimal system of krones and øre in 1875, Norway used a currency called the_ speciedaler _, which was divided into 120_ skilling _.  Coins were made in several denominations, the lower values (½, 1, and 2 skilling) being struck in copper, and the higher values (including the ½ and 1 speciedaler coins) struck in silver.  As to what goods were actually worth in 1845, I can only guess._
> 
> _–Having Elsa spy on Anna was just my way of showing where we are in the movie, leading up to the end.  Besides, it's funny. ;)_
> 
> _–The speech was tricky to write, and I'm not 100% sure about it, but it'll do._
> 
> _**Next chapter:** A solemn visit, and horse riding!_


	9. Apologies Long Overdue

Anna finally begged to rest, having nearly fallen for the third or fourth time (she had lost count), so Elsa led the two of them over to one of the fountains to sit down.

"You did much better today," Elsa said, glancing at her sister.  Anna really had done better; with Elsa's and Olaf's help, she had managed to not make a fool of herself in front of the people.

"Thanks, I guess," Anna replied, "but I couldn't have done so well without your help."

"Oh, you just need more practice, Anna."

"Mm-hmm," Anna mumbled in reply.  She seemed thoroughly distracted watching Kristoff continue to slide around with Sven and Olaf.

"I know ice is his life, but that is ridiculous!" Anna commented, referring to the mountain man's unorthodox skating technique of simply letting Sven drag him around.

"Hey, at least he stays on his feet," Elsa teased.

Anna glared at her.  "Say, how do _you_ stay on your feet, without slipping?  It can't be easy in those heels."

Elsa laughed.  "I'm not completely sure.  I think my powers give me some extra ability to keep my footing on ice and snow.  Maybe it's because my shoes are cold?"  Anna shrugged.  "I don't know.  Anyway, I usually don't slip."

They continued to watch Kristoff in awkward silence for a few more minutes.  Finally, Elsa said, "You know, Anna, despite his... oddities, I think our parents would have liked him."

"Really?" Anna said, her face pinking slightly.

Elsa fought to keep a straight face.  "Is something the matter?" she asked.

"Um... no?" her sister said, blushing even more.

_I thought so,_ Elsa thought. _She still hasn't admitted it to herself._   Having gotten the desired reaction, Elsa said, "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Anna—you're in love.  I think that was made rather obvious this afternoon."

"I'm not emb—wait, _what?_ " Anna yelped.

"I needed some fresh air earlier, so I took a walk along the outer wall.  Apparently, the Royal Guards cannot refuse their Queen a spyglass if she asks for one," she said, smirking.

" _What?_   You were... you..." Anna's expression went from surprised to embarrassed to annoyed, before blurting, "Elsa, you stinker!"  Suddenly, she yelped again when a snowball landed on her head.

A hand covering her laughter, Elsa said, "Calm down, Anna.  I won't tell anybody if you don't want me to."  Thinking for a moment, she added, "Besides, I may not need to.  You _did_ kiss him in the middle of town, in broad daylight.  And you're the Princess, so word will surely spread no matter what I do."

"Oh," the strawberry-blonde said, her face falling.  "Did I mess up?"

"No, no, Anna," Elsa said reassuringly.  "I'm sure the people will be happy to know you have someone besides me who cares for you.  Nevertheless, I should probably have a talk with you and Kristoff about being more discreet."  She reached for Anna's hand, and gave it a squeeze.  "I'm happy for you, and I'm sure Mama and Papa would be, as well."  Wiping away the sudden tears, she fell silent.  A light snow began falling in her immediate vicinity.

"Elsa, are you all right?" Anna asked worriedly.

"Yes... and no," the blonde replied tiredly.  "Anna, there's something that I need to do, that I've put off for far too long.  I won't ask you to come, if you don't want to, but I think it's time I paid my respects."

"Oh, Elsa..." Anna said.  "Of course I'll come with you.  You shouldn't have to face this alone, just because I had to." She sniffled.

"I know, and I'm truly sorry," Elsa said.  "That was something I'll regret for the rest of my life.  I should have been there for you."  She smiled warmly, and added, "I would appreciate your company, Anna."  The snow lessened, becoming just a flurry around her.

"Well, it's kind of far to walk," her sister pointed out.  "We'll either have to have Kristoff take us in his new sled—cart, I mean; there's no snow—or ride by ourselves."

"Ride?  As in horses?" Elsa asked.

"Of course I mean horses.  Wait..."  Anna looked at her curiously.  "When was the last time you rode a horse, Elsa?"

"Um..." Elsa dimly remembered learning how to ride a horse, riding around the castle grounds, just like Anna had.  But that had been so long ago—so long she didn't really know when.  The only clear memory she had of riding a horse was... _that_ night.

"Elsa," Anna said, eyes narrowing, "please don't tell me it was thirteen years ago, riding to the trolls' valley."

_Sisters really_ can _read minds,_ the blonde thought ruefully.  "No, Anna... but I don't really remember when I rode last," she said.  "I didn't get out much in the last thirteen years.  It's been a very long time."

"Well then," Anna said, a determined look on her face as she stood.  "Forget about Kristoff.  We need to get you reacquainted with riding, right away!"

"I don't know, Anna..." Elsa said, her tone uneasy.

"Come on!" her sister said.  "Once we get going, it's a lot of fun!"  Anna pulled Elsa up and tried to drag her across the courtyard, apparently forgetting that the courtyard was currently covered in ice, and that she still had trouble skating.  "Woah!" she cried, losing her footing once again.

Elsa laughed, catching Anna before she fell.  "Maybe you'd better let _me_ lead, sister," she teased.  "You're still not very sure of yourself on the ice."  She started guiding them across the courtyard.

They passed Eugene and Rapunzel skating together, clearly enjoying themselves.  When they passed Kristoff and Sven, Anna motioned for Elsa to stop, and said, "Hey, Kristoff?  Elsa and I are going riding.  We'll be back in a bit, okay?"

"Sure," Kristoff replied.  "Going anywhere I can take you?"

"Yeah," Anna said, "but Elsa needs to practice riding a horse."

Elsa rolled her eyes, and fought back a smirk.  _If Anna intends to give me a beginner's lesson,_ she thought, _then I'll play along, but maybe I can have some fun later._

"Uh, okay," Kristoff said.  "See you later, ladies!"

Anna waved goodbye, and Elsa skated them the rest of the way to the stables.

* * *

When they got to the stables, Anna had Elsa thaw her skates ( _About time,_ she thought), then went in search of the stableman.  She came back a moment later, the middle-aged man in tow.

"I assume that you'd like your horse saddled, Your Highness?" he was saying, when they reached Elsa.

"Yes, please," Anna replied.  "Tell me, does the Queen have her own horse?"

"Not exactly," the stableman said, turning to Elsa.  "I can't recall you riding since you were younger, Your Majesty.  However, I do have a horse that might suit you; I'll go fetch and have him saddled, if you'd like."

"Please do," Anna said before her sister could decline the offer.  Turning to Elsa, she said, "This is going to fun, Elsa, trust me."

"Going to the memorial stones?" Elsa said drily, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, riding horses, silly!" Anna replied.  When the stableman returned, he was leading Anna's white horse, Snowdrop, and a second horse of similar color and build.

"His name is Anton," the stableman said, at Anna's questioning look.  To Elsa, he said, "He's fairly gentle, Your Majesty, but be careful going any faster than a canter—he's not used to it."

"Good advice, um..."  The Queen trailed off, then said, "What is your name, good sir?"

The stableman looked surprised by the question, but nonetheless smiled and replied, "Johannes, Your Majesty."  He bowed.

"Thank you, Johannes," Elsa said, then approached the horse.  She held a hand out, and allowed him to sniff her before patting its nose.

"Elsa," Anna said, "just watch what I do, okay?"  Elsa nodded, and watched as Anna approached her horse from the left, stepping in the stirrup, then hauling herself up onto the saddle.  She sat at a slight angle, her right leg to the right of the pommel, the other below, yet she was still able to face forward.

"It's a sidesaddle," she explained to Elsa.  "Now, do what I just did."

Elsa did her best to copy what Anna did, but thirteen years of isolation had apparently not done her physique much good, for she had trouble lifting herself up.  Fortunately, Johannes was there to give her a boost, and Elsa finally made it onto the saddle, looking thoroughly embarrassed and sitting awkwardly.

"Make sure you're secure on the saddle enough so you won't lose your balance and fall," Anna instructed, showing her sister how she was straddling the pommel of the saddle.  "Now, grab onto the reins, and don't let go.  Steering is easy; to turn left, pull on the left rein, and pull on the right to turn that way.  Pull on both to stop."  She watched as Elsa experimented, turning Anton this way and that.  "Now, to go, flick the reins _gently._   Then follow me."  Anna flicked her own horse's reins, and rode off at a walk.

Anna spared a glance back at Elsa as she left the stables.  She saw that her sister was doing an okay job of steering and staying on the horse, but she still looked nervous.  "Just relax, Elsa," Anna said.  "As long as you're firmly seated and keep your hands on the reins, you should be fine.  We won't go faster than this until you're comfortable, so whatever you do, don't dig your heels in or anything like that."

Anna led them back to the courtyard, then pulled back on Snowdrop's reins, realizing something.  "Uh, Elsa?" she said, turning to her sister, "how are we going to get the horses across the ice?  There's still quite a few people out here."

"Hmm..." Elsa sat in thought for a moment, then said, "I'll thaw a path, I guess."  Addressing the townsfolk, she said loudly, "May I have everyone's attention, please?  I need to melt a path to the gate."  The people quickly skated or otherwise moved out of the way, leaving a clear space in the middle of the courtyard.  Elsa raised a hand, a look of concentration on her face, and thawed a cobblestone path a meter or two wide, from the front doors to the gates, with a smaller path leading to the stables.

"Thank you," the Queen said.  "I will only be out for a short while.  Please, enjoy yourselves!"

Meanwhile, Anna had spotted Kai, and waved him over.  "Elsa and I are going to visit the stones," she told him.

"Keep an eye on things, will you, Kai?" the Queen added.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Kai replied, bowing.

"Come on, Elsa," Anna said, and flicked her reins, the horse setting off in a walk toward the gates.  She could hear Elsa's horse following; stealing a look behind her, she saw that Elsa was steering the horse with one hand on the reins, and waving to the crowd with the other.  _Show-off,_ Anna thought.  A few people waved at Anna, too, so she waved back.

As they made their way out the gates and across the stone bridge, Anna noted all of the people around them walking to and from the castle.  _This skating rink thing was a big hit,_ she thought.  _I wonder how long she's going to leave it there?_   She had no idea whether Elsa's conjured ice would melt on its own, or whether it would be a permanent castle attraction until Elsa decided to thaw it.

When they reached the town, Elsa asked her, "I assume you know the way there?"

"Of course I know the way," Anna replied.  "I'm pretty sure I know," she admitted.  "It's hard to miss, though—it's up the hill a ways."

* * *

Despite Elsa's doubt in her sister's navigational skills (they only took one wrong turn along the way), they reached the cemetery by late afternoon.  Tying the horses up at the gates, they walked in silence, hand in hand, to the plot belonging to the Arendelle Royal Family.  The snow flurries had returned, and grew stronger as they neared their destination.

In a small clearing stood the two stones ( _cenotaphs,_ Elsa thought they were called), each nearly twice as tall as the sisters, placed here for the late Queen and King of Arendelle.  Engraved on them, written in Old Norse, were runes, which translate as follows:

_Queen Idun          King Agdar_   
_She died in the sea     He died in the sea_

Elsa sank to her knees on the ground, and Anna knelt next to her, putting a comforting arm around her as she wept before the stones.  The snow flurries around her slowed and stilled in the air, held frozen by her grief.

When she had cried herself out, she slipped out of Anna's embrace and straightened, facing the statues.  She cleared her throat, and did her best to sound calm and collected.

"Mama, Papa," she began, "I hope that you can hear me, wherever you've gone, for there are things that I feel I need to tell you.

"First, I must ask for your forgiveness, for my not coming here sooner.  On that horrible day, over three years ago, I couldn't come out of my room for the memorial, for my powers were out of control from my grief.  In thirteen years, I still had no control.

"Five days ago, I was crowned Queen.  Anna was so excited to have the gates open, so much so that she fell for a young prince and wished to marry him after knowing him for less than a day.  At the ball that evening, she asked for my blessing, and when I said no, she grabbed my hand, unintentionally pulling my glove off, and demanded to know why I shut her out and what I was afraid of.  I lost control, and revealed my powers to the assembled guests, and to the people in the courtyard when I ran.

"I felt like I'd failed you, Papa, for not concealing, for letting it show, but it didn't stop there.  I ran right across the fjord, freezing it over and plunging the kingdom into winter.  I fled into the mountains, and didn't know what had happened until Anna found me two days later.  She tried to convince me to return, and to let her help me, but I was too afraid, and lost control again.  I accidentally froze her heart.

"Her traveling companion was an ice harvester named Kristoff, who had been raised by the rock trolls; apparently, he saw us that night, thirteen years ago, and thus knew where to take Anna for help.  But they were told that only an act of true love could thaw her frozen heart.  He decided to return her to her prince waiting in Arendelle.

"The prince had organized a search party, looking for Anna, but Anna had already gone, so they found only me.  Two of the men with him tried to kill me, and I was forced to defend myself.  The prince stopped me before I could kill them, but I fell, was knocked unconscious, and was taken back to Arendelle and locked in the dungeon.

"I know why you must have rebuilt that cell, Papa, and I forgive you.  By then I knew my powers were too dangerous for me to remain in Arendelle, and knew that even the concealing shackles would not hold for long.  But I could not persuade the prince to release me.

"It turns out that he had been scheming for the throne all along, and when Anna returned seeking his comfort, he betrayed her, and left her to freeze.  He then told the Council that she was dead by my hand, but had married him, and he ordered my execution for treason.  I managed to break the shackles and the cell wall to escape, just as they came for me, and a massive blizzard began.

"But Anna had escaped as well, with the help of a living snowman I had made when I fled Arendelle.  She managed to break out of the quickly freezing castle and went out onto the frozen fjord to find me.  The prince found me in the blizzard before she did, though, and claimed that she was dead because of me.  I collapsed in grief, halting the storm, and waited for the end.

"Anna found me in time, and threw herself in the prince's way just as she froze solid.  The prince's sword broke and threw him back, and I saw what my powers had done to her.  As I grieved for her, she suddenly returned to life, her frozen heart thawed by her act of self-sacrifice.  It was then I realized what we never figured out, my entire life: _love will thaw._   With my love for Anna I lifted the winter, and hugged Anna for the first time in thirteen years.

"What you never realized, Papa, is that concealing and not feeling was the _worst_ way for me to try and gain control.  Keeping my emotions bottled up only made things worse, making the magic burst out.  Feelings just _can't_ be concealed indefinitely, any more than my powers can.  Sometimes I just need to let it go.

"Because I let myself feel, now—especially love—I have much less fear of hurting Anna or anyone else.  I have told her the truth about the accident, and we are starting to mend our relationship.  I will never shut her or anyone else out again, for the gates have been opened."

She took a deep breath, and said, "Papa, Mama, I forgive you for shutting us in, and keeping us apart.  You were afraid, just like I was for thirteen years.  You let the troll elder's warning misguide you, though you are not to blame for it being vague and incomplete, a fact I will bring up if I see him again."

Sighing, she said, "I hope you forgive me for almost destroying the kingdom in my carelessness, Papa.  I feel ashamed for running away, but it was the only thing I could think of to do to protect Anna and the people.  They have forgiven me, and I think there will be peace for a long time to come."

"I..."  She trailed off.  "I think that's everything.  Anna?"

Anna mimed punching Hans in the face.  "Oh, right.  Anna punched the prince in the face, and I mercifully sent him back to his kingdom for punishment, after two days in the dungeon.  The man responsible for the thugs sent to kill me has likewise been sent home, but not before I cut off trade with his country."

She thought some more, and remembered Rapunzel.  "Our cousin Rapunzel from Corona attended the coronation, and she and her husband Eugene have been keeping me, Anna, and Kristoff company for the last few days."  She paused.  "She partly blamed herself for your loss, but we both convinced her that these things happen, and there was nothing she could have done. 

"I'm sorry you two never got to meet her, especially you, Mama; she's very spirited and easygoing, just like Anna.  I think you would like her a lot.  I think you both would like Anna's friend Kristoff, too, though he's a little odd.  They're closer now than when they met, but I have advised Anna to take it slow."  She smiled at her sister.

"Thank you for listening, Mama, Papa.  I love you, and I miss you, now more than ever."  She brushed a tear away, and stood.

"Do you have anything you'd like to add, Anna?" she asked her sister.

"Nah, I think you covered pretty much everything," the strawberry-blonde replied.  Addressing the statues, she said, "I miss you too, Mama and Papa.  I love you."  She then stood, and followed Elsa back to the cemetery gates.

* * *

When they reached the horses, Anna said, "Are you okay, Elsa?  You look pretty tired."

"I _am_ tired, Anna," the blonde replied, "but I needed to get that load off my shoulders.  Thanks for... for supporting me."  Anna hugged her, and Elsa returned the embrace.  She was still cold, but didn't look ready to freeze everything, so Anna supposed Elsa was okay.  After a minute or two, they broke apart, and mounted their horses (Elsa needing help from Anna).

"So, Anna," Elsa asked, as she got situated on Anton, "what's your horse's name?"

"Oh, I named him Snowdrop," Anna replied.  "I'm not sure why, besides the color.  He's kind of a scaredy-horse, as I found out a few days ago."

"It's a lovely name, Anna," Elsa assured her.  "And it's probably from your love of snow."

"Yeah, I guess so," Anna agreed.  "So, do you think you're okay enough riding, to maybe go a bit faster?"

Her sister smirked at her.  "Are you asking to _race_ me, Anna?"

"Well, it's almost dinnertime," Anna said, "so I just thought you might like to get home..."

Elsa snapped Anton's reins sharply, and took off down the hill.  "Catch me if you can, Anna!" she called back.

_Wait, what?_ Anna thought.  _A few hours ago she hadn't ridden in probably a decade, and now this.  I wonder if she's just been pulling my leg this whole time?_   Annoyed, she snapped her reins and galloped off in pursuit of her sister.

Fifteen minutes later, just as dusk was setting in, they reached the castle, Anna having caught up to Elsa by the time they reached the bridge.  Slowing to a walk to get around the people going in and out, the sisters rode through the gates and right up to the doors, where Kai waited.

Helping the Queen down from Anton, the portly man said, "I'll take these back to the stables for you, Your Majesty, Your Highness."

"Thanks, Kai," Anna said.  Dismounting, and handing Snowdrop's reins to Kai (giving the white horse a pat on the nose first), she said to Elsa, "Let's go find Kristoff."

They found him and Sven with Rapunzel and Eugene off to one side of the courtyard, watching the remaining people (and one snowman) skate around.

"So, where did you two go?" Rapunzel asked when they arrived.  "You sort of left in a hurry."

"Elsa wanted to visit our parents' stones," Anna explained, "and I went along to support her.  We took horses, because I _thought_ she was out of practice!"  She glared at her sister.

"Come on, Anna," Elsa teased.  "Just because it was a long time ago doesn't mean I don't remember the basics.  After that, it doesn't take long for me to relearn."

Anna felt like tossing a snowball at her, except there wasn't any snow in the frozen courtyard to make one.  And Elsa was already tired, so a snowball fight probably wasn't such a good idea.  "Okay, fine.  But it _was_ fun, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Elsa admitted.  "We should probably do that more often."

"Sure," Anna said, "if you can work it into your busy schedule, that is.  But you should probably go easier on your horse next time—he looked pretty tired when we got back."

"I guess I should take the stableman's advice next time," her sister agreed, shrugging sheepishly.  "Anyway, it's nearly time for dinner, so let's go get ready, shall we?"

"Yes, let's!" Anna agreed.

"I'll see to Sven," Kristoff said, and led Sven in the direction of the stables.  As soon as he turned away, Elsa motioned for Anna and the Coronans to stay.

When the mountain man was out of earshot, Elsa said to them, "I have a surprise for Kristoff this evening, and I'll be needing your help."  Anna and Eugene and Rapunzel listened as she explained her plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** Having Elsa visit her parents' memorial stones was an idea I've had since I wrote chapter 2.  And it seems to me that it'd be far enough from the castle that the sisters would want to ride there to make good time.  As you can see, Elsa has just as much of a mischievous side as Anna. ;)_
> 
> _–Inevitably, being in uncharted territory, I start to run into problems writing—for example, needing to name things, like the horses, and the stableman.  Also, I know very little about horses in general, having never ridden one in my life—just the basic things, like how a person mounts one.  So I wound up doing a bit of research, especially concerning how one rides sidesaddle (as highborn ladies would do), but I'm sure it's going to sound strange anyway._
> 
> _–I also looked up a translation of the King's and Queen's memorial stones (source:[lingaspect.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/runes-on-king-queen-of-arendelles-gravestones/](http://lingaspect.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/runes-on-king-queen-of-arendelles-gravestones/)).  According to the article, the first lines read, in Old Norse: _ 'Iðunn dróttning' _(Queen Idun) and_ 'Agðar konungr' _(King Agdar).  The second lines,_ 'hon dó í hafi' _and_ 'hann dó í hafi' _, simply mean that they 'died in the sea'.  (The 'd' is used for_ 'ð' _instead of 'th' because it's easier to pronounce, as with_ 'Oðin' _(Odin).)_
> 
> _–I admit to adding the term 'cenotaph' after reading one of **grrlgeek72** 's fics.  Credit where credit is due. :)_
> 
> _–I apologize for dumping exposition again, but I didn't feel like shortening it.  (This will be the last time, I hope.)  Notice that Elsa states that she has_ less _fear of hurting anyone, not_ no _fear.  Just as she admitted to Anna back in chapter 4, she's still not entirely sure of herself._
> 
> _**Next chapter:** a title is awarded, and the mountain trek begins!_


	10. Titles and Travels

As soon as Kristoff entered the dining room, he could tell that something was up.

For one thing, everyone was already seated, and were clearly waiting for him to arrive.  Elsa was sitting at the head of the table, as before, with Anna on her right.  The first two seats on Elsa's left were taken by Rapunzel and Eugene, the latter doing his best to look innocent.  _I knew there was something fishy about that carrot shortage,_ Kristoff thought.

It was the seat to Anna's right, however, and the fact that Anna seemed to be hiding something, that caught his attention.  Not the chair itself, of course—it was just like all the others, save Elsa's—but what lay on the table in front of it: a folded piece of parchment, and a silver medal attached to a green and purple ribbon, just like the one Sven had been wearing except smaller.

_Anna said I've been named Arendelle's Ice Master and Deliverer,_   Kristoff thought.  He stood there for a moment, speechless.  Anna, meanwhile, was grinning from ear to ear.

"And you thought it wasn't really a thing," she teased, as if reading his thoughts.

"But it isn't," Kristoff protested stubbornly.

"Of course it is."  Kristoff hadn't noticed the Queen approach; she was suddenly right there in front of him, standing behind her sister.  "It's a thing because I _made_ it one," she said.  "Now, ordinarily I would do something like this in the throne room, with the court as witnesses, but I am the Queen, and we are all here, so I see no reason why we cannot do it now.  Kneel, please."

Kristoff did as instructed, dropping to one knee before her.

"Anna," Elsa said, and her sister proffered the item she'd been hiding—a sheathed sword.  Drawing it, she said, "Kristoff Bjorgman, in the name of the Queen, I dub you Sir Kristoff Bjorgman, knight of Arendelle."  She tapped him lightly on each shoulder with the blade, then returned it to Anna.  "Rise, Sir Kristoff."

Kristoff stood.  "Your Majesty, I-I'm honored," he stammered, attempting a bow.

"This wasn't my idea, if you're wondering," Anna assured him, sheathing the sword again and setting it aside.  "Elsa sort of sprung it on me last-minute..."

"Regardless of whose idea it was," Elsa said, smirking at her sister, "this will make your 'not-a-thing' title sound less silly to other people, Kristoff.  Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah... I guess so," Kristoff replied.  "Where'd you get the fancy sword?"  _Stupid question, ice man!_ he thought, and felt like kicking himself.  _This is a_ castle!

Elsa rolled her eyes, and said, "It belonged to our father."  Picking up the medal from the table, she motioned for him to bow, and he did so, Elsa looping the ribbon around his neck.  "I owe the silversmith a great deal for making these medals on such short notice," the Queen said, "but they aren't the most important part."

Taking the document and unfolding it, she read, " _By decree of Queen Elsa of Arendelle, the position of Royal Ice Master and Deliverer is hereby established.  By order of the Queen, the duties and privileges of Royal Ice Master and Deliverer are hereby awarded to Sir Kristoff Bjorgman for his generous assistance to the Royal Family during the Great Freeze._ "  Folding it again, she said, "Congratulations, Royal Ice Master."  The others applauded.

"Hang on," Anna said, snatching the paper out of Elsa's hand and scanning the part her sister just read.  "Thought so.  This doesn't say ' _Sir_ ', Elsa."

"I know, but I didn't have time to rewrite the whole thing, Anna," Elsa replied.  "So unless you know of a way to magically change the words on the paper..."

"That's crazy talk, Elsa!" Anna said in mock horror.  Pausing a moment, she asked, "You can't do that, can you?"  Elsa shook her head.

"Oh, good," Anna said, "'cause that would be pretty scary."  She immediately covered her head with her hands, as if expecting a snowball to land there.  When none came, she lowered her hands, muttering, "Huh... I thought for sure that—AH!"  Elsa and Rapunzel both giggled at the snow on Anna's head.

"You let your guard down," her sister teased.  Handing Kristoff the document, Elsa said, "Don't lose that, Kristoff.  You should read the rest of it at your leisure."

"Uh, right.  Sure," Kristoff replied.

"Ooohh...!" The strawberry-blonde turned to Kristoff, and said, "Did you know that she was spying on us, earlier today?"  Kristoff realized what moment that day she was referring to, and felt his face burn red with embarrassment.

"Relax, Kristoff," Elsa reassured him, as she returned to her seat.  "I haven't told a soul what I saw, except Anna."

"And I told Rapunzel," Anna said, grinning.  Kristoff facepalmed, groaning.

"Is this what court life is like?" he wanted to know.

"Filled with gossip?  Oh, yes," Rapunzel replied.  "If you decide to start courting Anna, you're going to have to be a little more careful, if you don't want word getting out instantly."

_Great,_ Kristoff thought.

"Rapunzel is correct," the Queen said.  "While I personally have no objections to you courting my sister, word will undoubtedly spread among the people of your little moment this afternoon.  Therefore, I would strongly advise you to be more discreet in the future, Master Bjorgman."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Kristoff replied, the awkwardness returning.

"Good.  Anna, do you understand as well?"  Her sister nodded stiffly, and Elsa said, "All right.  We will continue this discussion, in private, another time.  For now, let's drop the formalities and eat, shall we?"  She rang the bell on the table.

Kristoff turned to face Eugene.  "You didn't, by any chance, have something to do with that mysterious carrot shortage in the stables, did you?" he asked, frowning.

"Guilty," the prince admitted.  "You have to admit, I'm very good at making things disappear..."

"And I'm good at making them reappear," Rapunzel added.  "Sort of.  We just wanted to delay you a bit, Kristoff—we meant no harm."

"It's all right," Kristoff replied.  "Sven didn't mind waiting a little longer for his dinner."

The kitchen staff came then, bearing dinner (roast again; Anna apparently loved it).  While they laid everything out, Elsa said, "I guess I should apologize, too."  She paused.  "For the... spying thing."  For some reason, the Queen blushed.

"It's all right, Yo— _Elsa,_ " Kristoff stumbled.  "I'll bet Anna didn't know about it, either."

"Speaking of the princess..." Eugene interjected, winking at Anna (and getting a jab in the ribs from Rapunzel).  "Oof.  Did my advice come in handy, Kristoff?"

"Yeah, thanks, pal," Kristoff said sourly, remembering how he sounded.  "My brain knew what it _wanted_ to say, but it came out all muddled..."

"Even the best of us get tongue-tied sometimes, Kristoff," Elsa said.  "Especially Anna."

"Hey!" Anna protested.

"Relax, sister," Elsa said. "Let's eat."

* * *

"So, Kristoff," Elsa said, as she cut into her slice of roast, "how many people can your new sled or cart carry?"  Like most top-of-the-line sleds, the one Anna had bought Kristoff was convertible between runners (for snow) and wheels (for everything else); this was important to ice harvesters, who had to travel between dry land and snowed-over mountains, even during summer.

"Two in the front seat," Kristoff said; the look he gave Anna told Elsa who he thought that other seat would be going to on their trip.  _Think again, Ice Master!_ Elsa thought.  "I might be able to fit two or three in the back."

"Quite unnecessary," Eugene cut in.  "I'll be riding Maximus."

"And Olaf will probably want to ride Sven," Anna added.  "I guess that leaves you and me in the back, cousin!"  At Kristoff's puzzled look, she said, "Elsa's the Queen, Kristoff.  She gets to ride in front when she's with us."  Elsa silently thanked her.

"Is it, uh, safe?" Rapunzel asked Kristoff.

"Of course it's safe," Kristoff replied.  "Unless we happen to be attacked by wolves and ride off a cliff, then you have nothing to worry about."

"Well, that shouldn't be too much of a problem, if we avoid traveling at night." Elsa said.  A thought occurred to her, and she asked, "How far is the trolls' valley from the North Mountain?"

"Not as far as Arendelle is," Kristoff said.  "Why?  Did you want to meet my family?"

"I was thinking about it," Elsa admitted, "but mostly I'd like to have a _talk_ with Pabbie."  Anna and Kristoff both winced; they were probably imagining how such a meeting would go, after thirteen years of her following his bad advice.  "I know what you're thinking," she said to them, "and I'm sorry, but I have things to say to him."

She sighed.  "Anyway, I figure if we leave here early tomorrow morning, and arrive at the ice palace around midday, we'll have time for a tour, and then we can head back down the mountain and reach the Valley by nightfall."

"What?  How can we possibly get to the North Mountain that fast?" Anna wondered.  "It took me and Kristoff almost _two days_ to get there!"

"Yes, Anna," Elsa said patiently, "but that was an unseasonal winter landscape you had to travel in.  Furthermore, by your account, you were on foot for a good portion of that time.  And besides," she added, pausing to smirk at her sister, "you didn't have me with you.  I was able to get up there so fast because I left before most of the snow accumulated, and I had my powers to aid me."

"Okay..." Anna said, still sounding doubtful.  "But what about the ravine?  How'd you get across that?"

"I didn't," Elsa replied.  "I went a different way.  Besides, I could always build a bridge."

"Oh yeah," Anna said, falling silent.

"How long can we expect to be gone, Elsa?" Rapunzel inquired.

"All day tomorrow, and a bit of the next day," Elsa answered, "so pack a bag accordingly."

"All right," Eugene said.  "Will there be food?"

"You let me worry about that," Elsa said.  "It won't be much, but it'll be enough."

"Just so you know," Rapunzel said, "I sent a letter to my parents, briefly explaining the coronation incident, and letting them know we might be staying another day or two.  So... maybe the afternoon we return from the mountains?" she said, with a questioning look at her husband.

"Sounds about right," Eugene agreed.  "I'll let our captain know."

"You're going to leave right after we get back?" Anna asked, looking crestfallen.

"Don't worry, cousin," Rapunzel said gently.  "It's not like we'll never visit again.  Besides, we can always write."

"Okay," Anna said, brushing a tear away.

"It's settled, then," Elsa said.  "I hope you all can rise at an early enough hour; I'd like to leave at around seven or eight o'clock.  And Anna," she added, facing her sister, "I _will_ use snow if I have to."

"Hey," Anna protested.  "I got up early _today_ without any help!  _Willingly!_ "

"Fair point," her sister replied, "but you've been warned.  Will breakfast at six-thirty be sufficient motivation for you?"

"I guess," the strawberry-blonde said, sighing.

The rest of dinner was mostly idle talk—celebrating Kristoff's new titles ("What are people supposed to call you... Sir Ice Master?" Anna wondered), or the fact that the treacherous Duke of Weselton and Prince Hans were out of Arendelle, the latter hopefully for good.

Finally, the Queen delighted everyone when she called the head cook, Mistress Nora, to bring out her surprise, and the middle-aged woman arrived with a plate of fresh-made krumkake (with cream filling) for dessert.

When everyone was finished indulging in the sweet pastries, Elsa stood, and said, "Good night, everyone.  Pack a bag, and get plenty of sleep."

* * *

It didn't take Anna very long to pack.  Despite owning nearly enough dresses to fill _two_ wardrobes (all stuffed into one), she made her decision fairly quickly.

The winter dress she bought at Oaken's was the obvious choice; it would come in handy for the higher elevations, and she could always put the cloak on later if she got too cold.  Otherwise, all she added was the necessities, as well as the usual things one takes on a trip into the mountains—blankets being a priority.  _I'm not going to be unprepared_ this _time, no sir!_ she thought.

When she was done, she changed into her pale green nightgown, and left her room, wandering over to Elsa's room.  Knocking her signature five-beat knock, she waited until Elsa answered before entering.

Unsurprisingly, Elsa was seated at her desk, going through a pile of missives.  "Honestly, Elsa," Anna scolded lightly, "you expect us to get plenty of sleep, but what about _you?_   You wouldn't want to be too tired to get up, or to use your powers on our journey."

"I'll go to bed soon, Anna," her sister assured her, "just as soon as I finish looking over these."

"Yeah, right." Anna said doubtfully.  Looking around, she noted the absence of a packed bag.  "Aren't you going to pack?"

"Of course," Elsa replied, "but I don't need much."

"Am I going to have to pack extra blankets for you, Miss The-cold-doesn't-bother-me?"  Her sister glared at her, and with a flick of her hand sent a little snowball flying into Anna's face.  "AAH!"

Brushing the snow off of herself, Anna admitted, "I guess I deserved that.  Still, you probably don't want to sleep on the _hard ground,_ Elsa."

Elsa sighed.  "You're right, I don't," the blonde said, in a tone that suggested she would much rather sleep in a bed.  "I'll bring some blankets."

"Are you going to bring any extra clothing?" Anna wanted to know.

"No," Elsa answered, gesturing to her ice dress.  "I think I'll just wear one of these, and change it if I need to.  As you pointed out, the cold doesn't bother me."

"Have you actually _tried_ changing it, yet?" Anna wondered.

"No," her sister replied, "but I considered it when we were on horseback earlier; this isn't particularly suitable for riding, you know."  She stood up, and said, "Still, now's as good a time as any to try."

Adopting a look of intense concentration, Elsa waved her hands up her body, changing the ice dress with the slit into an ankle-high garment somewhat lighter, with no slit, and a much higher neckline: an ice nightgown.  "What do you think?" she asked.

"It's lovely, Elsa," Anna said.  "You probably don't want to wander the halls in that, though."

"You're one to talk, sister," the blonde retorted, raising an eyebrow at Anna's _plenty_ -modest nightgown.

"Hey!" Anna protested.  " _This_ makes yours look positively scandalous!"  That earned her another snowball in the face.  "COLD!"  Elsa giggled.

"What I meant, Anna, was that _I_ don't usually wander the halls in just a nightgown," Elsa teased.  "Now, you'd best be off to bed, before I nail you again."

"Oh, all right," Anna muttered sulkily, and added under her breath, "you stinker."  Her sister raised an eyebrow, and swirled some ice over her upturned palm.  "Okay, okay, I'm going!" Anna said quickly, dashing out of the room, but not before calling back, "Love you, Elsa!" 

"I love you too, Anna," Elsa replied.  "Sleep well."

* * *

In Elsa's estimation, six o'clock came much too soon.  Fortunately, she was accustomed to rising early, unlike Anna, so she didn't have too much trouble.  _Of course, if Anna knew how little sleep I've been getting lately,_ the blonde thought, _she'd probably have me stay in bed for a whole week._

After freshening up and conjuring a new ice dress, Elsa picked up her bag of blankets and such and rang for Kai.  When the butler arrived, she handed him the bag and said, "Take this downstairs for me, would you, Kai?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," Kai said.

"Have you cleared my schedule for today and tomorrow?"

"I have," the portly man replied.  "If anything comes up, either I or the senior Council members will handle it."

"Thank you," the Queen said.  "That will be all."  Kai bowed and left with her bag.

Walking to Anna's room, Elsa put her ear to the door and heard the predictable sound of Anna's snoring.  _Figures,_ she thought, knocking on the door.

"Nghh... couldn't be morning already... five more minutes?" came the groggy voice of her sister.

"Oh _Annnaaaaa..._ don't make me come _iiiinn..._ " Elsa said in a singsong voice.

" _Ah!_   I'm up, I'm up!" came her sister's hasty reply, followed by a loud _thump!_ and an " _Oof!_ "

"Breakfast is soon, Anna," Elsa reminded her, "so you'd best pick yourself up off the floor and get ready."

"All right," came the muffled reply, and Elsa left, hoping her sister didn't fall asleep again.

Elsa headed downstairs to the kitchens.  After speaking with Mistress Nora about fixing some food for their trip (a few small meals' worth), and ordering breakfast for five to be served at six-thirty, she walked to the dining room to wait for everyone to arrive.

Sitting in her high-backed chair, she idly waved her hand, making little snowflakes fly around the room.  It made her happy to be able to use her powers now without having to hide them, and provided her with some amusement, as the snowballs landing on Anna's head proved.  _I need to get more creative with that,_ she thought absently.  _Maybe have one sneak up on her..._

It was at this moment, idly playing with her powers, that she had that strange feeling again, like she'd had several nights before during the snowball fight.  Instinctively, she froze, listening, and heard the telltale patter of little feet approaching.  "Hey, little guy," she said as Olaf opened the door, waddling into the room.

"Whoa... how did you know it was me?" the snowman wondered.

"I'm not really sure, Olaf," Elsa said, thoughtful, "but it seems that I can... _sense_ when you're nearby.  I don't really know how it works, yet."  She chuckled.  "I _still_ don't know how I made _you_ work, so I guess it's not a big surprise.  What brings you here?"

"I heard you guys were all going on a trip to the mountains," Olaf replied, "and I was wondering when you're leaving."

"Well, I was planning on leaving at seven or eight o'clock," the Queen answered, "but it depends on how timely Anna and the others are.  You're invited to come along, of course.  We'll be going to the ice palace, and visiting the trolls on the way back."

"Sounds like fun!" Olaf said.  "Hey... do you think we'll see my little brother Marshmallow there, Elsa?"

"He's hardly _little,_ Olaf," Elsa laughed, "but as you were made first, I can see why you think that.  It's almost as strange as calling him Marshmallow."

"I think it's a good name," Olaf replied.  "Anyway, I'll go tell Sven and Max!"  He trotted off happily, almost knocking Anna over in the doorway.

"Woah..." Anna said, stumbling.  She was wearing the winter dress she had bought at the trading post, with the blue skirts, dark bodice decorated with rosemaling, and light blue sleeves.  Elsa noticed the magenta cloak that went with it poking out the top of the bag Anna was carrying.  By the way Anna was carrying it, Elsa guessed that there were more than a few blankets inside weighing it down.

"Did you carry that down here yourself, Anna?" Elsa asked her.

"Yeah... it's not much.  Why?" the strawberry-blonde said, puzzled.

"You're a _princess,_ Anna," Elsa reminded her.  "You could have had Gerda or someone bring it down for you."

"Well, it's down here now," Anna replied, taking her seat to Elsa's right.  "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be down any moment now," her sister answered.

Sure enough, Kristoff, Eugene, and Rapunzel arrived shortly after.  They ate breakfast then, a quick affair of porridge and honey.  Elsa had only just finished hers by the time Mistress Nora appeared with the basket of food she had finished preparing.

"There are sandwiches, slices of leftover roast, fresh biscuits, fresh fruit, bread, butter, jam, honey, and... various other things," the head cook said, showing her the contents of the basket.

"Bless you, Nora," Elsa said, smiling.  "Just set it by the front doors with everything else, okay?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," Nora replied, and left the room, basket in hand.

Eventually, it was time for the party to be leaving.  Kristoff had converted the sled to a wheeled cart the night before, and now had Sven bring it around to the front door (Olaf, as expected, was sitting on Sven).  Eugene went to fetch Maximus, and Kai loaded everyone's things into the back of the cart, leaving just enough room for Anna and Rapunzel to sit.

"Didn't know I was going to need the family size wagon..." Elsa heard Kristoff mutter, as she climbed onto the seat in front.

"You might, someday," she whispered back.

"Don't remind me," he replied, blushing.  Glancing up, Elsa saw Eugene returning, leading Maximus, and that meant it was time to go.

"Kai," the Queen announced, "I am leaving Arendelle in yours and the Council's capable hands until I return.  If we make good time, I expect we should be back tomorrow afternoon."

"Very good, Your Majesty.  Safe travels," Kai replied.  Bowing to the prince and princesses, he said, "Be safe, Your Highnesses."

"Oh, we will," Anna assured him.

"Let's be off then," Elsa said.  "Kristoff?"

"Let's go, buddy," the mountain man said, and Sven set off at a trot.  Eugene mounted up and followed on Maximus.

Because the fjord was not frozen, the group did have to go a ways, through the surrounding villages, to reach the path towards the North Mountain that Elsa had taken.  Elsa, for her part, sat on the seat patiently, listening to the wind whip around them, and the sound of the girls playing hide-and-seek with Pascal ("I'd really rather he wasn't in my _hair,_ cousin..." Anna complained).

As soon as they were mostly out of civilization, and on the mountain paths, Kristoff said, "Okay, Sven, ready to go fast?"  The reindeer nodded.  To the girls, Kristoff said, "Hang on, ladies."  Calling to Eugene, he shouted, "Think you can keep up?"

"Are you kidding?" the prince shouted back.  "Max could keep up with a team of horses!"

"All right, Sven!"  Kristoff said, and Sven took off in a gallop, Maximus not far behind.

"Everyone hang on," Elsa commanded.  "I haven't exactly done this before."  Closing her eyes, she concentrated, bringing an icy breeze into being behind them, hoping that it would help them along.  Opening her eyes, she saw that they were going faster than before.

"What did you do?"  Kristoff asked.

"Not much," Elsa said.  "I just gave us a cold breeze at our backs."

"How much control over the wind do you have?" Anna wondered.

"I can't really manipulate the wind itself," Elsa replied, "but I can make a cold breeze, and hope that it influences the wind around us.  I haven't practiced this sort of thing much, but I guess this was enough to give us a little boost."

"Well, we ought to make pretty good time, with this," Kristoff said, sounding impressed.  "Thanks."

"Not a problem," Elsa said.  "I don't know how long it'll last, though."

Eventually, they reached the snow line.  During the summer months, the snow was higher up than in winter, but it was still there.  Kristoff, therefore, had to stop and switch the sled back to runners, giving Sven and Maximus a chance to take a breather.

"That was quite a clip we were traveling at," Eugene said

"With snow, it'll be even better," Elsa said.  "Though, I'd bundle up a little, if I were you," she added, eyeing her sister.

"Oh... right!" Anna said, pulling the pink cloak out of her bag and pulling it on.  "Need a blanket?" she asked Rapunzel.

"Sure," the brunette replied. accepting one from Anna.  "It's a bit chilly for me."

Soon they were off again, going at a quick pace, but not so much as to be dangerous.  As the sun climbed higher into the sky, Elsa kept the cool breeze on their backs, while keeping a sharp eye on the path in front of them, giving Kristoff directions every so often.

They started to climb, and Elsa started to get that funny feeling again... but it wasn't Olaf.  "I think we're getting close," she said.

"What?  How do you know?" Anna asked.  "I can't even see the ice palace yet."

"It's... hard to explain." Elsa admitted.  "When we were having our snowball fight the other night, I had this funny feeling that Olaf would be joining us, and sure enough, he showed up.  I felt the same thing this morning just before he visited me in the dining room.  And again, just now, but it's not from Olaf."

"Whoa, that's crazy," Anna said, eyes round.  "So you can _feel_ them?  Olaf, and... Marshmallow too?"

"Apparently," Elsa said.  "Which means we should probably be expecting him to be on guard when we arrive."

"Great," Kristoff said with a groan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** Been a while since I wrote in Kristoff's POV, hasn't it?  (Hint: it was chapter 6.)  I'll try to write him a little more often from now on._
> 
> _–Having Elsa knight Kristoff didn't occur to me until I started writing this chapter.  Elsa has the right of it: it makes his 'not-a-thing' title sound better!  After consulting with a few peers, I decided this was the right way to go; making him a noble, like a baron or a greve (count), wouldn't make sense at this point in the story._
> 
> _–Since it happens off-screen, I'll elaborate on the little diversion Eugene and Rapunzel pulled.  Basically, Eugene ran after Kristoff and Sven, catching up to them before they reached the stables, saying he was going check on Maximus.  He proceeded to fill his satchel with carrots while neither one of them was watching, then while gathering apples for Max, he points out to Kristoff the small number of carrots left.  Promising Kristoff that he'll fetch some more, Eugene goes outside and waits until he gets the signal from Rapunzel that Elsa and Anna are ready, then goes back in and hands the carrots he pocketed to Kristoff, claiming Rapunzel brought them.  Eugene then left, racing to the dining room to wait with everyone else._
> 
> _–Dropped a hint for a future chapter here, when Elsa will be having a one-on-one talk with Kristoff about Anna._
> 
> _–Introduced another (mostly) background OC—Nora, mistress of the kitchens.  (By the way, "various other things" in this case includes chocolate, but she doesn't want to say that out loud, and have Anna raiding the basket before meal time.  She knows the princess all too well.)_
> 
> _–No, I will not stop pelting Anna with snowballs; Elsa and I both think it's hilarious. :P  However, please tell me if I'm writing either of them too OOC in that regard!_
> 
> _–Provided a bit of an explanation for Elsa's ability to reach the North Mountain so fast—magic, of course!  I mean, if her powers can (unintentionally) stir up a raging blizzard, they ought to be able to make a steady cold breeze.  As for whether she can control natural winds and other weather... I don't really know, but I'm going to say no._
> 
> _–Playing with Elsa's snow golem (or snowlem) senses again.  (Maybe it's "snowy senses"?)_
> 
> _**Next chapter:** a snow monster, a tour, and a confrontation!_


	11. Ice and Stone

When the party reached the clearing outside the ice palace, Elsa motioned for them to halt, a safe distance away from the staircase that led to the door.

"Keep the sled here until I'm sure it's safe, okay?" she told Kristoff as she stepped down from the sled.

"All right," the mountain man replied.  "I wasn't going to risk this being wrecked by Marshmallow, anyway."  Elsa nodded.

To the others, she said, "Everyone stay behind me, okay?  I don't want anyone to get hurt."  _Never again,_ she thought.

Kristoff climbed down and unhitched Sven, while Anna and Rapunzel jumped out of the back, and nearby Eugene dismounted Maximus.  They all followed a respectful distance behind the Queen.

"Whoa..." Eugene breathed, at the sight of the magnificent ice palace before him.  "You _built_ all of this?"

"Yes, I did," Elsa said, beaming.  She was distracted by Olaf hopping down from Sven and dashing ahead of Elsa toward the stairs, ignoring her warning.  "Olaf, wait!" she shouted, to no avail.

Olaf hadn't even reached the stairs before a large, otherwise unremarkable pile of snow leaped up and blocked his path.  " _GO AWAY!_ " the snow monster bellowed.

"Olaf, look out!" Elsa shouted.  Olaf backed away as quickly as he could, but wasn't quite fast enough to avoid being swatted by Marshmallow.  With a cry of surprise, the little snowman flew (in pieces) through the air, landing in the snow-covered rock face behind them.  The monster stomped toward the group menacingly, his gait with a noticeable limp.

Striding quickly towards the behemoth, the Queen held a hand up at arm's length, palm-out.  "Marshmallow, _stop!_ "

The snow monster froze, puzzled by the command.  "ELSA?" he rumbled.

"That's right," Elsa said.  "I made you, remember?"

"YES," Marshmallow replied.

"Listen, Marshmallow," Elsa said, gesturing to the others, "these people are my guests.  They are not to be harmed, understand?"

"OKAY," the monster agreed.  "WHO ARE THEY?"

"This is my sister Anna," the blonde said, motioning her sister forward.  "She's very important to me."  Marshmallow growled, probably remembering their last encounter.

"I'm... sorry," Anna told the snow monster meekly.  "You know, for throwing a snowball at you."  Marshmallow grunted in reply.  _It's a start,_ Elsa thought.

"This is Anna's friend Kristoff, and his reindeer Sven," the Queen continued, gesturing to the mountain man and reindeer, "and this is your brother Olaf."  The snowman had by now reassembled himself, and had trotted over to join the rest of the group.

"Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!" the little snowman said cheerfully, attempting to hug the monster's leg.  Marshmallow let out a low growl, and Olaf slowly backed away.  "I'm not sure _you_ do, though..."

"Finally, these are my cousins Rapunzel and Eugene, and their horse Maximus," Elsa finished.  She didn't need to name Pascal, as the little chameleon was nowhere to be seen (likely hiding from the cold inside Rapunzel's cloak).

"ELSA SAYS YOU MAY STAY," Marshmallow informed the group.

"Great to know," Eugene commented.

"One more thing, Marshmallow," Elsa pointed at the tiara resting on the golem's head.  "May I have that back?"  The others looked up, and a squeak of laughter escaped Anna's lips before she could stop herself.

"BUT I LIKE IT.  IT'S PRETTY," Marshmallow protested.  Elsa looked over her shoulder, and seeing Anna's great amusement rolled her eyes.  The monster did look rather silly wearing the Queen's crown, but laughing at him was not going to help.

"I'll make you another one just like it," Elsa promised the giant.  "I'll even fix your leg."  The leg in question, the left, looked like it had been cut clean through and then hastily reattached.

"OKAY," the snow monster said.  He picked the tiara off his head and handed it to the Queen.  With a flick of her free hand, she made an icy replica of the crown--finely detailed, down to the last facet--and gave it to Marshmallow, who promptly put it on, a toothless grin on his face, as if he felt like a princess.  Elsa set the real crown upon her own head, though she wasn't sure if it would stay put with her hair in its looser style.

Her gaze fell on the ice staircase, and she saw that something fairly large had destroyed part of the railing on the right side.  "What happened here, Marshmallow?" she asked.

"BAD MEN SHOT THINGS AT ME," Marshmallow explained.  "A GRAY-CLOAKED MAN CUT OFF MY LEG, AND I FELL."  He pointed to the deep chasm below the stairs.

_Yet another thing Hans Westerguard was responsible for._   "And yet you weren't damaged by the fall," Elsa mused, then turned back to the snow golem.  "Don't worry, I'll fix you up."  She  waved her hand, and concentrated; ice and snow shot out towards Marshmallow's leg, swirling around it like a miniature whirlwind, repairing it as good as new.

"THANK YOU," the golem said.

"No problem, big guy," the Queen replied.  She waved her hand again, this time toward the staircase railing, and restored it to its original shape.  Waving the others forward, she said, "You can bring the sled over here now, Kristoff.  Marshmallow will stand guard."

"Okay, if you say so," the ice harvester said, sounding doubtful, but went to fetch the sled anyway (after retrieving Sven, who had tried to lick the staircase almost as soon as Elsa had finished fixing it.)

When they returned with the sled, Elsa said, "Sven and Maximus will have to stay out here; I didn't really build this place with animals in mind.  They'll be fine, as long as they don't antagonize Marshmallow."

"You'd better stay here, buddy," Kristoff told the reindeer, unhitching him once again.  "Maybe you and Max can find some way to amuse yourselves."  Sven grunted, plainly not thrilled with the idea.

"Come on, everyone, come see this place!" Anna said excitedly, taking the stairs three at a time, and pounding on the door, which opened by itself.

"Anna, wait for _me!_ " Elsa shouted as she raced after her, amused by her sister's exuberance.  The others followed at a more relaxed pace.

* * *

Anna was just as awestruck as the others by the beauty and detail put into the palace, but she was content letting them ask the questions, preferring to simply look around and see what she had missed during her first visit.  She shivered slightly, and folded her mittened hands under her arms.  _Was it this cold the last time?_ she thought absently.

"This is incredible," Eugene was saying, as he and Rapunzel carefully followed Anna and Elsa across the icy floor.  Off to the side, Kristoff was examining the walls, no doubt fascinated by all the flawless ice, and Olaf was sliding around as if figure-skating.  "How did you manage all of this?"

"I had a great deal of time to read in the last thirteen years," the Queen replied.  "If I hadn't studied geometry and architecture, this place probably wouldn't look half as nice as it does."

"Are there any other rooms, besides this one and the one up there?" Kristoff asked, as he rejoined the group near the frozen fountain.

"There is a small bedroom just past the landing," Elsa replied, gesturing toward the stairs, "and the balcony on the second floor, but other than that, no.  I suppose I could add on if I really needed to."

"This fountain is beautiful, Elsa," Rapunzel complemented.

"Thank you," the blonde replied.  "Follow me, please."  She led them up to the landing of the staircase.

As they followed the Queen to the long, winding stairs, Anna snuck a peek through the door at the bottom, and caught a glimpse of a modest-size bed within.  She was tempted to go flop onto it, but thought better of it when she remembered it was probably made of _ice._

"How did you do the stairs?" Kristoff wanted to know, as he and Eugene followed the girls up the stairs.

"I'm not really sure," Elsa admitted, pausing in climbing.  "Basically, I just thought of what I wanted, how I wanted it to look, and the ice complied."  She grinned, pointing to the room above.  "It's kind of complicated, because I was actually up _there_ for most of it."

"Remarkable," the harvester said.  "Remind me to never compete against you in an ice sculpting contest."

When they approached the upper floor, the Queen motioned for them to stop.  "Watch your step, please.  There's a lot of broken ice," she said, then led them into the room.

The room looked like a storm had hit it--quite possible, since the balcony doors were broken and lying askew.  Thousands of icy shards from the fallen chandelier lay scattered around the room.  Several of the group gaped at the sight of the ice spikes against the far wall, where one of the Duke's thugs had been pinned.  More startling to Anna and Rapunzel, though, was the crossbow bolt buried in a sheet of ice, almost at eye-level for them--and for Elsa.

Elsa apparently noticed their alarm, because she said softly, "If I had been a half-second slower, that would have killed me."  She hung her head.  "As it was, I nearly did the same to them."

"You're okay now, Elsa," Anna said soothingly, putting an arm around her sister.  "Everything's fine."

"Yeah," the Queen murmured.  "Still, I need to tidy this up."  Waving her arms, she made the sheets of ice jutting out from the floors thaw, then caused the multitude of shards on the floor to reform into the chandelier, as good as new.  A thoughtful expression crossed her face, and she waved her hand again, making some extra supports sprout from the top of the chandelier, further anchoring it to the ceiling.  "There," Elsa said.  "Now there's less chance of an accident."

Turning to the balcony, she used her magic to lift the large doors back into place, repairing them in the process.  She then opened the doors, cleared the debris from the balcony, and repaired the railing.

"All done," Elsa said, walking back into the room.  "As for these"--she stooped, picking up the stray crossbow bolts from the floor--"I never want to see them again."  She froze them solid, walked back to the balcony, and threw them away, making them shatter into pieces in midair.

Anna and the others joined her out on the balcony.  "This is quite a view," Rapunzel said.

"Yeah," her husband agreed.  "I could get used to a view like this."

"Eugene, you already _have_ a view like this," the brunette reminded him.

"Oh, yeah," the former thief said sheepishly.

"The sunset is gorgeous from here," Elsa informed them.  "I don't think we'll be staying long enough to see it, though, unless you fancy traveling in the dark."  Kristoff and Anna both shook their heads furiously, remembering the last time they did that.  "I didn't think so."

Elsa led them back into the room, then stopped.  Anna saw her frown, as if thinking, and then suddenly she waved a hand at either side of the room, making some benches made of ice form.  Another wave, and a tall-backed chair of ice appeared near the balcony door, facing the middle of the room.  "There, now we can sit down," the Queen said.

"It's not much of a throne," Eugene commented.

"It wasn't meant to be," Elsa said, "though, I suppose I could..." She flicked her fingers, making an icy cushion form, which she then collapsed onto.  "Who wants lunch?"

"I'll go get it," Kristoff volunteered, as Anna and the Coronans sat on the benches.  He turned and left, trudging back down the stairs.

Anna watch him leave, then jumped a little when her sister spoke.  "You've been awfully quiet, Anna," Elsa said, her voice filled with concern.  "Are you all right?"

Anna nodded, pulling her cloak close.  "Just... bad memories," she murmured.  Ever since coming in here, her last visit had been replaying in her mind--she'd been too optimistic, and didn't see the signs until it was too late.  Elsa must have seen the pain on her face, because she was out of her chair and sitting on the bench next to Anna in a heartbeat.

"I'm so sorry, Anna," the blonde said, giving her hand a squeeze.  "I didn't mean to remind you of that, by bringing you here.  Remember, the past is in the past, and you know I would never hurt you again.  Try to enjoy yourself, okay?  We can talk later."

"I'll try," Anna mumbled, her glum mood fading.  She sat for a moment, trying to think of a conversation starter.  "You know, Elsa, a bed made of ice doesn't sound very comfortable," she said finally.

"You'd be surprised," the blonde said.  "Remember, I can make _fabric_ out of ice."  She waved down at her dress for emphasis.

"Oh, yeah," Anna said.  "But wouldn't a whole _bed_ be too cold?"  _Surely she has a limit,_ she thought.

"The cold--" Elsa began.

"--doesn't bother you.  Yeah, I know." the strawberry-blonde interrupted.  "And I suppose a fireplace wouldn't be a good idea in this place."

"I honestly don't know," the Queen said, "but I'm not in a hurry to find out."

Anna saw Kristoff return with the food basket, and accepted a sandwich when he started handing them out.  Elsa also took a sandwich, and returned to her chair.  When he was finished, the mountain man sat in the vacant spot next to Anna.

They ate in silence for the most part, the only sound besides that of eating was of someone humming a tune softly.  With a start, Anna realized that it was Elsa.

"That's lovely, Elsa," Rapunzel said.  "What is it?"

"Oh," the blonde said, cheeks pinking slightly.  "It's just a song I sang when I built this place, when I let it all go."

"I didn't know you could sing, Elsa," Kristoff said.

"I did," said a voice from behind them, which turned out to be Olaf.  The snowman had apparently just been wandering around the palace, content to let the humans talk, until now.  "I think she has a beautiful voice."

"You heard that, Olaf?" Elsa wondered.

" _'Let it go, let it go, I am one with the wind and skyyyy...'_ " the snowman sang, not quite on-key.  "Kind of hard to miss that."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," the Queen admitted, blushing crimson.  "I didn't know I had brought you to life, so I figured there was no one around to hear."

"Maybe you could sing it for us," Anna suggested.

"I don't know, Anna..." her sister said.  She was wringing her hands, which Anna knew by now to be one of Elsa's nervous habits.

"Elsa, is something wrong?" Anna asked, concerned.  "You don't have to sing if you don't want to."

"It's not that," Elsa said.  "It's just... I have mixed feelings about the song, and this place, after everything that happened.  When I sang it that night..."  She took a deep breath.  "I was declaring my freedom, abandoning my responsibilities and everything I'd worked for, vowing to never go back.  Continuing to shut everyone out."  She sighed, plucking the tiara from her head.  "I even threw this away, just to make my point.  I am very lucky that Marshmallow found it."  She placed the crown on her lap, and adopted a look of concentration.

"Elsa," Anna said, "what are you doing?"

"I am going to fix my hair," she replied, a slight smirk on her face.  Anna watched in fascination as Elsa, with a wave of her hand, conjured a standing mirror right in front of her, and set to work pinning her braid up, with what looked like little icy hair pins.  Apparently satisfied, Elsa set the crown on her head again, and then made the mirror vanish.

"Well," Anna commented, "I guess you'll never need to carry a compact."  Elsa laughed, and the sound of her sister's mirth lifted Anna's spirits immensely.

* * *

Kristoff watched the interaction between the sisters with some amusement.  _It's hard to believe that they were apart for so long,_ he thought.  _They're both a little awkward, though, and there's probably things they're still learning about each other.  Apparently, Anna already knew Elsa could sing..._

Anna's latest topic of discussion brought him out of his thoughts.  "There are _six doors,_ Elsa," the princess was saying, waving her hand at the room for emphasis.  "Where do the others go?"

"Um... nowhere yet?" the Queen said, sounding unsure.  The doors in question were on either side of the room, adjacent to the balcony door and the door leading downstairs.

"You could make them into little alcoves, or more stairs to, uh, somewhere," Kristoff suggested.

"I'll keep those suggestions in mind," Elsa replied.  She stood and walked over to the food basket, returning with an apple.

When everyone was finished with lunch, Kristoff spoke up again.  "We should probably get moving, if you want to reach the trolls' valley by nightfall," he informed the others.

"I agree," the Queen said.  "I'm sorry there isn't much else to see here... I didn't really build much into it as far as amusement goes."

"Cold bed, no washroom, irritable snow monster, no entertainment except your powers..." Eugene ticked the items off on his fingers.

"No food," Anna added.  "What were you planning to _eat,_ Elsa?"

"I... don't know," Elsa admitted.  "Like I said, I didn't really think things through.  Not unlike a certain princess, who left home in winter weather without any warm clothing or supplies."

"Hey!" Anna protested.

"You're actually pretty lucky that Oaken had a dress and boots that fit you, Anna," Kristoff said, "seeing as they were the _only_ clothing at all in his ridiculous 'winter stock'."

"Yeah, that was weird," the strawberry-blonde admitted.  "Maybe he's, like, _psychic_ or something."  Kristoff raised an eyebrow at her.  "Okay, I guess Elsa and I both need to work on thinking ahead a little."

"Which is exactly why we should be going," Elsa said smugly, rising from her seat, "because I don't plan on traveling at night."

"All right, you win." Anna conceded, and stood, following the others to the stairs.

Kristoff carried the food basket back to the sled, and after tossing it in he went to go fetch Sven.  The reindeer and Maximus had evidently found something to do, though he wasn't sure what it was.  At his approach, the two animals backed away from each other, doing what Kristoff could only describe as bowing to each other.  Nearby, Marshmallow was studying some markings on the ground intently; finally, the golem grinned and pointed in Sven's direction, to the reindeer's delight (and the stallion's irritation).

"Let me guess, you won?" Kristoff asked Sven.

The reindeer nodded, and answered in his Sven voice, _Yup!_

Kristoff laughed.  "Okay, well, it's time to go, buddy."

Sven followed him back to the sled, and Kristoff hitched him up, then hopped in the front seat, eager to see his family again.  Anna and Rapunzel climbed in the back, and Eugene mounted Maximus, the latter shooting a glare at Sven.

Last to join them were Olaf and Elsa, who both stopped to have a word with Marshmallow; Kristoff figured the entire North Mountain could hear the snow monster's replies of "BYE, BROTHER!" and "OKAY, ELSA!"  Elsa then walked over to the sled, helping Olaf up onto Sven before seating herself.

"Do you know the way from here?" the Queen asked him.

"Of course," Kristoff replied.  "I managed to find the way after falling off a cliff, so this should be no problem.  Besides, Sven knows a safe way down."

To Sven, he said, "Let's go, Sven!"  Sven took off, heading down the sloped, non-cliff route he had taken before, when Kristoff and Anna had been chased by Marshmallow.  Eugene on Maximus followed close behind.

The ride back down the North Mountain was rather uneventful compared to the journey up it; they did have to stop at the snow line, of course, so that Kristoff could reattach the wheels.  But since they were going downhill, they didn't need any special assistance from Elsa's powers to help them along.

A few hours later, sometime after sunset, the party reached the steaming volcanic vents that dotted the edge of the Valley of the Living Rock.  Kristoff had Sven stop, and gestured for everyone to hop out.

"What _are_ these?" Rapunzel wondered, examining one of the vents.  Nearby, Eugene dismounted Maximus, and motioned the horse to follow.

"Steam vents," the mountain man explained.  "They're hot, so don't get too close."

"We could camp here, I suppose," the Queen mused, "unless your family insists otherwise."

"We'll see," Kristoff said.  Unhitching Sven, he said, "Just so you know, my family can be kind of, um, inappropriate, and loud.  Also rather heavy, and stubborn.  But they mean well."

"I'm sure they're wonderful, Kristoff," Elsa assured him.

_Funny,_ he thought, _that's almost like what Anna said._   Motioning Sven forward, Kristoff said, "Okay, everyone behind me and Sven.  Best that they see us, first."

Walking into the rock-studded clearing, Kristoff announced, "Hey, guys, I'm back!"

Immediately the moss-covered rocks started to roll around, eventually revealing themselves as trolls of all sizes, male and female, covered in mossy-green clothing and many wearing a multitude of glowing crystals.  His adoptive mother, Bulda, was not surprisingly at the front of the group.  "Kristoff's home!" she shouted, and this was echoed by the other trolls.

"Oh, how cute!" he heard Rapunzel say.  The trolls heard, as well, and whipped around to face her, blinking.

"He's brought a girl!" one troll said.

" _Three_ girls!" another added.  "And one of them is Anna!"  Anna waved politely.

"And Olaf!" yet another said, noticing the little snowman.

"Having trouble deciding, dear?" Bulda wanted to know.  "I'd tell you Anna's the girl for you, but I thought you already knew that."

"I do!  She _is!_ " Kristoff said defensively.  "And for your information, Rapunzel"--he pointed to the girl in the purple dress--"is _already_ married, to that dark haired fellow."

"Well, maybe you should introduce us, Kristoff," his adoptive mother chided.  "There would be fewer mix-ups that way."

"All right," Kristoff sighed.  Motioning to the others, he said, "Okay, come and meet my family, ladies, Eugene, Max."

The group walked to the center of the clearing, and Kristoff could tell that Elsa was a little nervous about being here.  Meeting Anna's eyes, he motioned to Elsa with his, hoping she got the hint.  Anna did, fortunately, and put a comforting arm around her sister.

"Okay, introductions..." Kristoff began.  "This is my adoptive mother, Bulda, and her husband Cliff."  Looking around, he said, "Is Grand Pabbie up?"

"I'll go look for him, if you like," a young troll said, and rolled off.

"My father Pabbie is our elder," Bulda explained to the newcomers, "and of all of us, he knows the most about magic.  He's quite old for a troll, so he naps fairly often."

"Anyway," Kristoff said, "you already know Olaf and Anna, obviously."  Motioning the Coronans forward, he said, "This is Princess Rapunzel of Corona, her husband Eugene, and their friend Maximus."  Pascal took that opportunity to crawl out from wherever he'd been hiding, and sat on Rapunzel's shoulder, eyeing the trolls warily.  "And Pascal," Kristoff added.

Bulda hopped up on top of Cliff to get a better look at Rapunzel.  "Hmm... you know, you look a lot like Anna, dear."

"Kristoff thinks so, too," Rapunzel said, smiling.  "It's because her mother was my mother's sister."  Bulda's face fell at her use of the past-tense.

Kristoff motioned Elsa forward.  "Last but not least, this is Anna's older sister, Elsa."  He paused. "Some of you might remember her from... before."

At this speech, the trolls seemed to notice Elsa for the first time, and the crown she wore.  "It's Queen Elsa!" one said, and it was taken up by the others.  Immediately, the assembled trolls were bowing respectfully as one before her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** Apologies to everyone for the long wait.  These last two chapters of Part 1 needed the most work, and between the discussions on Tumblr surrounding _ Frozen Fever _and the_ Frozen 2 _announcement, me reading another_ Frozen _fic, and my own personal life, I've been a bit distracted._
> 
> _–I'm not sure how big Marshmallow's vocabulary should be, but since I decided to write his dialogue in all-caps, I figure I'd use small words. ;)_
> 
> _–Kristoff's and Anna's dialogue reflects my own puzzlement as to the layout of Elsa's ice palace.  Obviously, there are two large rooms, one above the other, and the vaulted ceiling above that.  But there appear to be six doorways in the upper room (with the hexagonal geometry, this makes sense), the large door in the lower, and possibly one on the landing (which I have decided is a bedroom).  The staircases (there are two) seem to spiral around to the upper floor, but the door they come out at is clearly opposite the balcony door; thus, there are four doorways of unknown purpose._
> 
> _–Of course Elsa can make a mirror out of ice.  I don't know that it'd be as good as a silvered-back mirror, but it's good enough for her, I suppose.  If 'compact' is an anachronism, it is deliberate, since Frozen has some of those already._
> 
> _–Sven and Maximus were having a little sparring match.  What they were using as weapons I don't know (antlers and hooves, probably, which means Sven has an advantage).  Marshmallow was keeping score._
> 
> _–Due to expanding the Ice Palace scene significantly, I elected to move most of the scene at the trolls' valley to the beginning of chapter 12.  If you think the break here is awkward, that is why.  (So the confrontation I promised last chapter is actually next chapter.)_
> 
> _–Yeah, the trolls should probably recognize Elsa immediately, but... just roll with it. ;)_
> 
> _**Next chapter:** a talk with Pabbie, steamed toast, then back to Arendelle, and a departure!_


End file.
